The Great Gatsby: Imagery

The Use of Colours:

The green light: Fitzgerald uses the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock as a symbol of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams. It represents his desire not just for Daisy, but for the more profound aspiration of achieving the American Dream.
The colour gold: The colour gold is prevalent in the novel. It represents wealth and materialism, such as Daisy’s ‘voice full of money’ and Gatsby’s golden car. Despite its allure, gold often signifies false or superficial values.
Colour white: White traditionally symbolises purity but in The Great Gatsby it often also stand for emptiness and deceit. Daisy and Jordan often dress in white, emphasising their seeming ‘purity’, but in actuality, hiding their empty, corrupt souls.

The Valley of Ashes:

“A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat.” The Valley of Ashes represents the decay of social and moral values. It’s a place of desolation and despair, symbolising the darker side of the wealth-driven American Dream.
The giant billboard of Dr T. J. Eckleburg: His ‘blue and gigantic’ eyes, floating in the Valley of Ashes, serve as a haunting symbol of God and judgement, highlighting the moral decay in society.

The East and the West:

East Egg vs West Egg: Fitzgerald juxtaposes the glitzy East Egg with the more subdued West Egg. Despite their physical proximity, they symbolise the gap between old-money decadence and new-money aspirations - key distinctions in the social hierarchy.
The Midwest: The Midwest, where Nick and Gatsby hail from, represents traditional values and innocence. Its contrast to the East illustrates the ethical compromise required to attain wealth and status.

Gatsby’s Mansion:

“A colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy.” Gatsby’s mansion symbolises his wealth, but also his desire to fit into high society. Despite its grandeur, it’s an ‘imitation’, much like Gatsby’s status, reflecting his struggle for acceptance and legitimacy.

Gatsby’s Car:

“It was rich cream color, bright and there in it’s monstrous length… it was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes.” Gatsby’s cream-coloured car symbolises his extravagant lifestyle and wealth. Later, it turns into a symbol of death after it mows down Myrtle, much like how Gatsby’s obsession and ambition lead to his downfall.