Symbolism

How many symbols or motifs can you

think of?

The colour of drearinessIt symbolizes the lack of life and/or

spiritIt is the place of no hope, and no

futureValley of AshesGrey DustEverything covered, including the

people

Purity and innocenceBecause 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 whiteAlso, 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 novelMoneyHopeGreen lightSomething to strive forGatsby reaches out to the green light at the beginning of

the novelWe find out later that it is at the end of Daisy’s and Tom’s

dockLife with her would represent wealth and prosperityIn the book, wealth is something to hope for and reach

out for

Yellow:This shows up in many facets of the bookYellow symbolizes corruptness and things that go badIn the fall, the leaves turn yellow and decay – this is

similar to the corruption that happens in the worldGatsby’s yellow car represents corruptness, dishonesty

and deceptionGold:Gold represents wealth, or the show of wealthGatsby tries to win back Daisy using gold, or his wealth

as a motivationRed:Blood DeathBloody death of Myrtle

How many can you think of?

Tom’s mistressVitalityShe is full of lifeShe makes spontaneous decisionsShe is voluptuousShe 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 indecisiveShe uses Gatsby She is beautiful to look

at, but like a flower, you cannot have it forever

Represents powerHe abuses powerHe is arrogantHe is masculineHe is the epitome of

the man’s world in the 1920’s

He is authorityBrute

EquilibriumStands to the sideHas his own opinion but

does not always express itHe 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 deferredTries 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 commonThey are the only three people in the novel

who ever lovedThey are the only three people that dieThis 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 wisdomThey are also be an omen of deathThe glasses: all-seeing, God-like, more perceptive than

othersThis 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…

BillboardRight over the valley of ashesBillboard consists of really big eyesAlso consists of really big spectaclesIt watches over everything that goes on around the

valleyThe 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 insideSo on both sides of the spectrum there is deception

everywhereAn egg symbolizes a false show of purity on the outside,

but rotten and corrupt on the insideAlso the East Egg represents old money that has been

passed down from generation to generationThe West Egg represents new money that the people who

live inside there have earnedThere 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.