Introduction
Artists use colors to show hidden intentions and traffic lights provoke a certain way of acting through their color. Colors symbolize various things in everyday live. One usually has an instinctive connection from colors to certain feelings or uses. In his novel “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald is an artist. He uses colors to communicate to the reader feelings and attitudes of the protagonists. With my term paper on Fitzgerald’s color symbolism in “The Great Gatsby” I want to show the different uses of colors and the way color influences a scene subliminal.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Summary of the main actions
2.1 Chapter 1 – 3
2.2 Chapter 4 - 6
2.3 Chapter 7 – 9
3. Color in “The Great Gatsby”
3.1 Color as a stylistic device
3.2 Most frequently used colors
3.2.1 Yellow – modern moral decay
3.2.2 Green – hopes of the rich and famous
3.2.3 White – innocence of the guilty
3.2.4 Blue – dreaming of the future
3.2.5 Gray – lacking shades of blue
4. Literature
4.1 Primary Literature
4.2 Secondary Literature
4.3 Online Resources
Research Objectives and Focus Areas
This term paper explores the sophisticated use of color symbolism in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," aiming to demonstrate how specific colors function as stylistic devices to convey character traits, moods, and thematic elements subliminally to the reader.
- The role of color as a tool for creating narrative atmosphere.
- Symbolic associations of yellow with moral decay and extravagance.
- The representation of the American Dream and longing through the color green.
- The use of white to project artificial innocence and purity.
- Color motifs related to despair, including blue and gray.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2.1 Yellow – modern moral decay
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s central theme of “The Great Gatsby” is the moral decay in the American Society after World War I. It seems rather unusual to connect such negative things with a color normally referred to as happy and friendly. Starting very early in the book the careful reader can find that the use in connection to, for example, Tom Buchanan or Jordan Baker is a way of foreshadowing the later development of their characters. First of all there is Daisy, whose name itself makes the point. The flower daisy is yellow and Daisy herself does not seem dangerous at the first glance. This negative connotation of course refers to her killing Myrtle in the end.
Therefore Fitzgerald gives her misleading symbols in the cause of the story for instance a white dress. Jordan Baker is as well connected with yellow symbols. “The lamp light on his boots and dull on the autumn-leaf yellow of her hair.”(p.24) Yellow is most frequently used when there was a relation to death. Gatsby has a yellow car with which Daisy later kills Myrtle: “…while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug…” (p.45) Myrtle’s husband Wilson describes the car as“… big yellow car.” (p.146) After the accident he carries his dead wife from the street into the garage, “which was only lit by a yellow light in the swinging metal basket overhead.” (p.145) The yellow car leads to Gatsby’s demise. Shortly before he is shot by Wilson, who still believes Gatsby drove the car the night Myrtle was killed he decides to swim in the pool.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the author's intent to examine how Fitzgerald utilizes color symbolism to influence the reader's perception of the protagonists and narrative mood.
2. Summary of the main actions: This section provides a concise narrative overview of the novel's plot, structured by chapter groupings to track the development of key characters like Nick Carraway and Gatsby.
3. Color in “The Great Gatsby”: This core analytical chapter identifies and interprets the specific color patterns used by Fitzgerald as stylistic devices to deepen the reader's understanding of the novel's themes.
4. Literature: This section lists the primary and secondary sources, as well as online references used to support the analysis of color symbolism in the work.
Keywords
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Color Symbolism, Literary Analysis, Modernism, Moral Decay, American Dream, Narrative Mood, Stylistic Devices, Yellow, Green, White, Blue, Gray, Character Development.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper examines the symbolic function of colors in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby" and how these colors affect the reader's perception of the story.
Which colors are primary subjects of the analysis?
The study focuses on yellow, green, white, blue, and gray, analyzing the specific meanings the author attributes to each.
What is the main objective of the research?
The objective is to reveal how Fitzgerald uses color as a stylistic tool to communicate attitudes and feelings and to reinforce central themes like moral decay.
What methodology does the author apply?
The author applies a literary analysis method, interpreting textual evidence and direct quotes to identify patterns of symbol usage throughout the novel.
What aspects of the novel are discussed in the main part?
The main part covers a plot summary and a detailed analysis of frequently used colors, linking them to character traits and social settings.
Which keywords define this academic work?
Key terms include "The Great Gatsby," color symbolism, moral decay, the American Dream, and literary analysis.
How is the color yellow interpreted in the text?
Yellow is interpreted primarily as a symbol for moral decay and the corruption of the upper class, despite its usual association with happiness.
What does the color green represent for Gatsby?
Green symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and his longing to reclaim the past and win back Daisy's love.
What is the significance of the "valley of ashes" in the context of color?
The "valley of ashes" is linked to the color gray, representing the hopelessness and decline of society after World War I.
Why is white analyzed as a color of "innocence"?
White is examined for how it is used to project an artificial image of innocence onto characters like Daisy and Jordan at the start of the novel.
- Quote paper
- Sabine Reich (Author), 2005, The significance of color in "The Great Gatsby", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/42332
