Color in The Great Gatsby
Uploaded by littleindian on Nov 26, 2006
Colors affect the mood and emphasize the importance of events in a novel. The concept of color symbolism is prominent in The Great Gatsby. White, yellow, blue, and green affect the atmosphere of scenes through association with a specific mood. When analyzed, the frequent use of color and its relevance can be identified.
The color white and light tones are associated with purity, innocence and benevolence. This idea is holds true in the novel when Nick describes the room in Tom’s house where Daisy and Jordan are introduced. He describes the room as “bright” (12) and the windows as “gleaming white against the grass” (12). The dresses Jordan and Daisy are wearing are also described as “white” (12). On page 24, Daisy and Jordan’s “girlhood” is described as “beautiful [and] white”. Childhood represents innocence and because the color white is associated with it, white becomes a representation of innocence. The affect the color white creates is the impression of a pure, clean environment, and that Jordan and Daisy are the same. In the text, there is no prior discussion of Tom’s house or Daisy and Jordan which causes the reader to believe they are pure and good.
Yellow is a representation of falsity and corruption of events or characters in The Great Gatsby. The significance of yellow is to show through imagery that not everything is as it seems. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy and Jordan are wearing white dresses, giving the illusion of purity. With the progression of the storyline, Daisy and Jordan’s clothes slowly change from white to a golden yellow as the characters impurities are revealed. The color yellow is also present in descriptions of Myrtle. Myrtle’s dress in the party scene is described by Nick as “cream colored” (35). “With the influence of the dress, her personality had also undergone a change” (35). When Myrtle wears the yellowish dress, every aspect about her person changes into something fake. In Myrtle, the color yellow is a clear representation of dishonesty because she pretends to be something she is not. The effect the color yellow has on the description of characters is to point out the dishonesty they have. Yellow is also a symbol of corruption. Gatsby’s car is the car that killed Myrtle and is described as “a yellow...