Symbolism

How many symbols or motifs can you think of?

The colour of dreariness It symbolizes the lack of life and/or spirit It is the place of no hope, and no future Valley of Ashes Grey Dust Everything covered, including the people

Purity and innocence Because this is a novel that is submerged in the theme of appearance vs. reality, this has the a deeper meaning of FALSE purity and goodness “White” becomes a superficial cloak to hide the underlying darkness and corruption Daisy and Jordan always seen in white Also, Gatsby, when he wanted to meet Daisy again for the first time in five years, worse a white suit as it to show that he was good and pure

Largest representation in the novel Money Hope Green light Something to strive for Gatsby reaches out to the green light at the beginning of the novel We find out later that it is at the end of Daisy’s and Tom’s dock Life with her would represent wealth and prosperity In the book, wealth is something to hope for and reach out for

Yellow: This shows up in many facets of the book Yellow symbolizes corruptness and things that go bad In the fall, the leaves turn yellow and decay – this is similar to the corruption that happens in the world Gatsby’s yellow car represents corruptness, dishonesty and deception Gold: Gold represents wealth, or the show of wealth Gatsby tries to win back Daisy using gold, or his wealth as a motivation Red: Blood Death Bloody death of Myrtle

How many can you think of?

Tom’s mistress Vitality She is full of life She makes spontaneous decisions She is voluptuous She is a healthy, strong and dangerous woman

Her name is a type of flower She embodies the idea of a fragile flower She embodies the notion of the conventional woman of the 1920’s She is a fragile person She is indecisive She uses Gatsby She is beautiful to look at, but like a flower, you cannot have it forever

Represents power He abuses power He is arrogant He is masculine He is the epitome of the man’s world in the 1920’s He is authority Brute

Equilibrium Stands to the side Has his own opinion but does not always express it He is one of the main people who connect Gatsby to Daisy He is the un-innocent bystander He is like Pontius Pilot, where he sends Gatsby to his death although it is not his intention or what he wants to happen

The result of a dream deferred Tries to achieve the ideal (Daisy), but the ideal falls short She could never live up to his expectations She is on a pedestal, and he has created a fantasy that cannot connect to reality The more he cannot attain the dream, the more involved and complex the fantasy becomes He is the cause of his own ill-fate

Love Connection? They have something in common They are the only three people in the novel who ever loved They are the only three people that die This doesn’t leave the reader with the most optimistic impression love…

What do you think of this “Character” Is he even a character? What could he represent? Our fearless leaders will uncover his mystery in their seminar…

Owls represent wisdom They are also be an omen of death The glasses: all-seeing, God-like, more perceptive than others This is ironic because upon our first introduction to the character, we find out that he is drunk – which contrasts against our initial impression of him. He doubts and investigates Gatsby further, displaying his wisdom. He sits in the library, drawing attention to the books in the library. The books represent the reality or façade that Gatsby is creating for himself, and the Owl-Eyed man is bringing attention to it. He brings together the critic, reader and the characters all into one being…

Others…

Billboard Right over the valley of ashes Billboard consists of really big eyes Also consists of really big spectacles It watches over everything that goes on around the valley The glasses have yellow rims that symbolize corruptness in two different ways: a) All he sees is corruptness b) He sees through all of those who are corrupt The empty face represents the hollowness of people and their materialistic values The empty face also represents an empty, unresponding, and dead God in a world of corruption He is a God-figure who is watching over the two Eggs

The East and West eggs are where they live, and there is always drama going on An egg is white on the outside, and yellow on the inside So on both sides of the spectrum there is deception everywhere An egg symbolizes a false show of purity on the outside, but rotten and corrupt on the inside Also the East Egg represents old money that has been passed down from generation to generation The West Egg represents new money that the people who live inside there have earned There is always constant bickering between the eggs because the West Eggers are rowdy and don’t know how to handle themselves amongst the continually wealthy people.

Cars are a status symbol and can also represent carelessness and/or recklessness Spring represents a new beginning, a clean slate to mess up all over again The seasons and the weather play a large role in reflecting the realities of what is happening in the book. This is a type of pathetic fallacy, drawing the readers attention to the feelings, tone and meaning of the various elements of the plot.