Literary Scholar

Literary Scholar 
-Rae Bernaola

As the Literary Scholar, it is my job to point out important symbolism present in The Great Gatsby. I'll be addressing three symbols, the first being the mysterious "Green Light" that Gatsby reaches for, the second being the books in Gatsby's library, and the third being colors. It's my belief that, although there are more symbols present, these symbols have a great impact on both the reader and the characters in The Great Gatsby when you take a second to think about them.

The Green Light

The green light, the most recognized symbol in this fantastic novel. When Gatsby is first seen by our narrator Nick Carraway, he is seen reaching out to the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, not just across the sound, but at the farthest edges of the universe. The text reads, "Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been the end of a dock." (Fitzgerald 20)

 To an ordinary person, this may have just been a green light on a buoy, but to Gatsby it was much more than that. This green light was his entire world, his dream, and he continued to chase it throughout this novel. The green light in itself represents Daisy, and Nick even goes on to say "...his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him..."

Jay Gatsby believed in the green light, and in my opinion believed in something that should not have been believed. Yet the undying hope he possessed help him beat on, a boat against the current, and led Gatsby straight into his grave.

Gatsby's Books

Now this one is an interesting theory in my opinion. Did you know that in the 1920's, books had their pages untrimmed? This meant that when you buy a book, you would need to cut the pages in order to separate them, or else the book couldn't be read? You may be thinking, okay so Gatsby didn't read all of his books, the big deal? Well the big deal as that in a library has huge as this, with a man who prides himself as an oxford man, why have none of his books been read?

If you think back for a second, I bet you were wondering why "Owl Eyes" was even in the story. What possible reason was there to introduce a random character, present only for one scene, in this story? You'll need to connect these two ideas, think about it deeply. Gatsby has never read any of his books, he prides himself a highly educated man, he owns a mansion and throws fantastic parties, and yet the man doesn't even care about any of it. Gatsby's true goal throughout the book is Daisy, and everything he does is for Daisy.

Furthermore, what makes all of these "random" facts important is what is written in the text, when Fitzgerald just throws out there, "He snatched the book from me and replaced it hastily on its shelf, muttering that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse." Although this may not seem like much, it is by far the best symbolism in this novel. This quote symbolizes the fragility of Gatsby, the illusion he's trying so hard to maintain, and if "one brick" were to be removed, the entire library would fall apart. This in itself is a great move by Fitzgerald, and although overlooked by many, is one of the most important quotes in this book.

Color

Color in The Great Gatsby is very important, and however a little vague, touches over key colors that have an impact on the story. The colors in focus will be Yellow/Gold and Green. These colors, indirectly stated, are the most common and have indirect impacts on the story, and even the characters themselves.

Yellow/Gold

Gold is the most color with the most impact in this novel, with the exception of green, more on that later. Gold is the essential color of the "old money" dispute, steady and secure, not bootlegged and spent until the people who own the money are penniless. Daisy herself is described as "the golden girl" and as it reads in the text, "With Jordan's slender golden arm resting in mine, we descended the steps and sauntered about the garden." Now obviously Jordan herself is gold, but Fitzgerald makes a point to describe the girls as "...two girls in twin yellow dresses..." This reflects the symbolism of yellow in the story.

Yellow is the color of Gatsby's car, the color of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg's glasses, and even the music at the parties are described as "yellow cocktail music." Yellow is not only the color of "fake money", which is both insecure, unstable, and most likely illegally acquired, but yellow is the color of death. The valley of the ashes is a place for fallen dreams, and Gatsby's car was the sole item in murdering Myrtle Wilson, which does indeed lead to Gatsby's death himself. 

Green 

Green, a hopeful color, which symbolizes life, fruition, vitality, and the future. The green light Gatsby reaches for is described as the "orgastic future," which was exactly what Gatsby hoped for. But even after this line, Nick goes on to say "...to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And one fine morning---"

But one fine morning what, that's what everyone will need to decide. Fitzgerald was implying that although the future is vast and mysterious, everyone has one and it's up to each individual to find out what that future is. For Gatsby, it led to the grave, and let it be a lesson never forgotten that you cannot repeat the past, and you'll just need to "beat on, boats against the sea, borne back ceaselessly into the past." (Fitzgerald 176)

Photo Sources:
http://jamesferronanderson.com/novel-endings-when-should-our-last-glimpse-begin/
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