“The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. This imitation shows how Gatsby is trying to become a part of the elite club by pretending to have good taste and manners. However, the yellow color is not exactly gold. Gatsby decided to decorate his mansion in the tones of yellow and buy a yellow car. Yellow in The Great Gatsby represents money and desire. Finally, the green color also represents the power of money that he’s got. Just like the “fresh, green breast of the new world” was an aspiration for the first explorers, green light gives confidence to Gatsby. Therefore, it symbolizes Gatsby’s hope and love. Green in The Great Gatsby is closely related to the green light of Daisy’s dock. On the other hand, white represents her hollowness since, except for the luxury of the upper class, she sees no purpose in life. It is a symbol of her purity and innocence, as well as her angelic beauty. She dresses in white, and her house has a lot of white. In The Great Gatsby, the white color is the Daisy‘s one. By the end of the novel, Nick mentions “the blue leaves” and “the blue smoke,” which may symbolize Gatsby’s beautiful dreams and the illusion of the American Dream. Gatsby’s “blue lawn” reflects on how sad and lonely he is, even in the middle of lavish parties. Blue in The Great Gatsbyīlue in The Great Gatsby represents loneliness and isolation. They help create this dreamlike setting of the story. Still, they play an essential role in the understanding of the main ideas. They fit quite well into the luxurious setting of the novel.īlue, white, green, and yellow are simpler and more discreet ones. There are many flashy colors in The Great Gatsby, such as gold and silver or pink. Therefore, it is hard to miss the meaning of a specific color. However, in Fitzgerald‘s book, they are tightly interconnected with the main ideas. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.” ( The Great Gatsby, chapter 1)Ĭolor symbolism may be quite controversial from time to time since everybody interprets colors in their own way. He spent time at the Yale Club and at the library.“…He gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone – he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Nick ends the chapter buy describing some of the other things he's done in the summer: he's worked, made friends with some of the other clerks, and had a short affair with a girl from work, until her brother started giving him dirty looks. Nick says good night to Gatsby and walks home, noting a drunken party that has put their car in a ditch near Gatsby's house. When Jordan returns to Nick, she won't tell him what they discussed, but does reveal that is "the most amazing thing." Jordan asks Nick to come and see her at her aunt's house before leaving with the friends she arrived with. They have never been read, but the man is impressed that Gatsby went to the trouble of buying real books. While he waits for Jordan, Nick wanders into Gatsby's library and meets a man who notes how impressive Gatsby's efforts to project a certain image are. Gatsby asks Jordan if he can speak with her privately. He is embarrassed to have not recognized him, but Gatsby puts him at ease, and invites him to go up in his hydroplane in the morning. Nick strikes up a conversation with a man, and after a while realizes he is actually talking to his host, Jay Gatsby. There are rumors that Gatsby killed a man and that he is a bootlegger, or someone who produces and markets alcohol illegally. He and Jordan spend time together and overhear and share several rumors they and others have heard about Gatsby. Nick unexpectedly runs into Jordan Baker, Daisy's friend whom he met at the dinner party in Chapter 1. No one seems to know Gatsby, even though they are all guests in his home. Once he arrives at the party, Nick spends quite a bit of time trying to find Gatsby. He learns that most people simply arrive at Gatsby's house, expecting there to be a party in progress. He is very impressed that he is one of the few people at the party to have been formally invited. Nick finally receives an invitation to one of Gatsby's parties. This last detail is particularly interesting because the novel is set during Prohibition, a time in the United States when buying and selling alcohol was illegal. For example, cases of oranges are delivered, caterers appear and set up elaborate decorations and tables of food, and a huge bar is installed. Nick describes the elaborate party preparations that go on at his neighbor, Gatsby's house every week.