Symbolism is used throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Symbolism is used to express important ideas, emotions, and concepts beyond the literal interpretation of the text being read. Symbolism in The Great Gatsby usually represents deeper meaning or figurative meaning. Some symbolism uses objects or characters as symbols for other more abstract things such as themes or ideas. Symbolism can be found in a variety of places throughout The Great Gatsby, but the three main uses for symbolism are 1) Symbolism within characters 2) Symbolism within objects and 3) Symbolism within events.
There is plenty of symbolism to find when looking at the characters in The Great Gatsby. There are certain characters that represent different people or things based on their actions and characteristics such as Tom Buchanan representing the upper class and Myrtle Wilson representing the lower class. When Nick Carraway first meets Daisy she represents everything he has been missing from his life; however, after finding out she’s already married we see her symbolizing corruption and evil (Lynch). Daisy starts off as a character that symbolizes happiness and excitement but later becomes a personification of what Nick wants, but cannot have.
Symbolism regarding characters continues throughout the entirety of The Great Gatsby though not just involving Daisy herself. Symbolism can be seen in how other characters interact with other people, where they interact, and the intentions behind their interactions. The Great Gatsby also uses symbolism for minor characters that don’t have much dialogue or aren’t described too often such as Mr. McKee who represents an insecure man trying to seem more important than he really is (Bio). Symbolism within character interactions can be connected to symbolism within events in The Great Gatsby because the two ideas are so closely tied together.
Symbolism in this way is used to compare the actions of characters to the events taking place between those characters. Symbolism can be found within characters elsewhere in The Great Gatsby as well. Symbolism is used frequently through out the novel with symbolism regarding female and male roles, for instance. In The Great Gatsby Nick’s female counterparts that do not have much dialogue or personality are said to have a “smooth, white forehead” but those who do have those qualities have a “high, white forehead” suggesting how women should look rather than what they truly look like (Bio).
Symbolism within character appearances ties back into symbolism within events because both heavily rely on each other to create a deeper meaning behind a story. Symbolism regarding character appearances is critical when looking at the minor characters in The Great Gatsby because minor characters are not given much background information and it is important to be able to find symbolism within these characters. Symbolism in The Great Gatsby can also be found in character descriptions, but that’s a different type of symbolism that will be discussed later on in the article.
Symbolism within character interactions, appearances, and descriptions can all lead back into symbolism within events which is one of the most important types of symbolism to look for when analyzing this novel through a symbolic lens. Symbolism regarding events occurs almost endlessly throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic “The Great Gatsby”. There are many different types of symbols used within events but they mostly deal with death or love (Hemingway). Symbolism regarding death is used frequently throughout The Great Gatsby to explain the consequences of different actions.
Symbolism within events should always lead back to symbolism within characters so it’s important not to get too caught up in one area, but rather look at all areas before coming to a conclusion about a specific character or event. Symbolism largely affects how every character acts and what they do. Symbolism can be found through out The Great Gatsby in ways that are more subtle than others, often going unnoticed by readers, but this makes finding symbolism incredibly rewarding when readers finally realize everything surrounding something has meaning.
In The Great Gatsby there are various symbols for objects such as cars, glasses of alcohol, and. Symbolism within objects is used to create a deeper meaning behind the story. Symbolism regarding the cars in The Great Gatsby acts as a way to describe how much power certain people have and shows what they value most from their lives. Symbolism within cars is used to show status but also money because Nick comments on how “expensive” Gatsby’s car was (Bio). Symbolism surrounding objects such as cars is used to compare characters with one another because of similarities between them and sometimes differences.
Symbolism surrounding Daisy’s appearance comes back later in the novel when Tom drives by Myrtle and her husband George Wilson in his new car which causes an argument that eventually leads to Myrtle’s death (Hemingway). Symbolism involving objects helps create character backgrounds through symbolism comparisons between characters. Symbolism surrounding drinks in the novel is used to show the consequences of every day actions that certain characters take because there is always symbolism surrounding everything that happens within The Great Gatsby (Hemingway).
Symbolism involving drinks uses symbols such as glasses of alcohol and ice cubes which act as a way to show how time can pass before something even occurs (Bio). Symbolism involving objects helps create character backgrounds through symbolism comparisons between characters. Symbolism surrounding Daisy’s appearance comes back later in the novel when Tom drives by Myrtle and her husband George Wilson in his new car which causes an argument that eventually leads to Myrtle’s death (Hemingway). Symbolism involving objects helps create character backgrounds through symbolism comparisons between characters.
Symbolism surrounding drinks in the novel is used to show the consequences of every day actions that certain characters take because there is always symbolism surrounding everything that happens within The Great Gatsby (Hemingway). Symbolism involving drinks uses symbols such as glasses of alcohol and ice cubes which act as a way to show how time can pass before something even occurs (Bio). Symbolism involving objects helps create character backgrounds through symbolism comparisons between characters.
Symbolism surrounding Daisy’s appearance comes back later in the novel when Tom drives by Myrtle and her husband George Wilson in his new car which causes an argument that eventually leads to Myrtle’s death (Hemingway). Symbolism involving objects helps create character backgrounds through symbolism comparisons between characters. Symbolism surrounding drinks in the novel is used to show the consequences of every day actions that certain characters take because there is always symbolism surrounding everything that happens within The Great Gatsby (Hemingway).
Symbolism involving drinks uses symbols such as glasses of alcohol and ice cubes which act as a way to show how time can pass before something even occurs (Bio). Symbolism involving objects helps create character backgrounds through symbolism comparisons between characters. Symbolism surrounding Daisy’s appearance comes back later in the novel when Tom drives by Myrtle and her husband George Wilson in his new car which causes an argument that eventually leads to Myrtle’s death (Hemingway). Symbolism involving objects helps create character backgrounds through symbolism comparisons between characters.
