Embedded Files
Quotes:
White:
"His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color against the white steps” (118).
“A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity — except his wife, who moved close to Tom” (22).
“Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water” (5).
Gray:
“Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud” (20).
“It is an old time-table now, disintegrating at its folds, and headed 'This schedule in effect July 5th, 1922.' But I can still read the gray names” (48).
“'We’ll go down-stairs,' interrupted Gatsby. He flipped a switch. The gray windows disappeared as the house glowed full of light” (73).
Yellow/Gold:
“'It was a yellow car,' he said, 'big yellow car. New'” (107).
“His bedroom was the simplest room of all — except where the dresser was garnished with a toilet set of pure dull gold” (71).
“Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie, hurried in.” (63)
Appearances:
White:
The color white commonly appears to describe people who are in the upper class. It describes the extravagant houses in Easy Egg and also commonly describes Daisy because she is seen as an innocent, incorruptible person. When Gatsby and Daisy meet, Gatsby brings many white things into Nick's house. It is used to show the contrast between those who live in the valley of ashes, who are discussed as gray, as opposed to those who live lavish lives in East Egg.
Gray:
Gray is often used when describing the valley of ashes in contrast with East Egg. Everything from the buildings to the people in the valley of ashes are described as gray. It is also used to discuss dull and uninteresting things.
Yellow/Gold:
Yellow and gold appear many times throughout the book, mainly having to do with the characters status. We see it in their expensive cars, outfits, and colossal mansions. Yellow was also seen to foreshadow the future for some characters detrimentally. This was shown when Myrtles blood smeared and ruined the perfect yellow paint job of Gatsby's car.
Analysis:
White:
In The Great Gatsby, white is used to symbolize purity and perfection, often discussing the area of East Egg. The homes in East Egg are described as "white palaces" that "[glitter] along the water" (5). The people in East Egg are viewed as the ideal people, and the state of their homes reflects this. White is typically used to describe Daisy, which accentuates the view of her as an innocent person. White is also used to show the differences of characters from others. At one point, Nick is describing Gatsby's suit: "His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color against the white steps" (118). Gatsby's suit is the perfect contrast from the white steps of his house. The use of the color white exhibits how the house that Gatsby has built does not reflect his true character because he only built it to try and impress Daisy. His true self stands out from the typical white color that represents the rich, which shows that he is different from the other wealthy people because he was not born rich. When discussing purity, white reveals the true intentions of characters: "a white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity — except his wife, who moved close to Tom" (22). White represents virtue, so since Myrtle was not covered by the white ashes, it suggests that she is not what she seems to be, which is true because she is having an affair with Tom. In the novel, white is used to both exemplify the differences between the rich and the poor, and to reveal characters' true intentions.
Gray: Gray is used to symbolize the distinct contrast in wealth between the Valley of Ashes and East and West Egg. The color gray and its use within the valley of ashes helps as a reminder of the reality of life in The Great Gatsby, highlighting the facade of wealth that exists in east and west egg. In the Valley of Ashes a long line of, "gray cars crawls along an invisible track," and a horde of "ash-gray men" gather around the train to unload its contents (20). Gray is representing the unhappy and dim life that the people in the Valley of Ashes lead. They are not able to experience the luxuries that those in East Egg can and need to work to survive, so they are bound to their jobs and stuck into a routine. Gray also represents things that are forgotten. When Nick is describing the list of people that have attended the parties, he calls the names "gray" (48). Since it has been a long time since the parties have occurred at the time when Nick is writing the novel, the names of the people have long been forgotten. Gray is a color used to represent the hopelessness and emptiness that exists in the world.
Yellow/Gold: The items obtained by the characters that are gold or yellow, are usually expensive and show the true personality of that person. It shows that they are flashy and care about how they are viewed materialistically by others rather than being known as a genuine person. When Gatsby is reuniting with Daisy, he is not showing his true self, so he wears a "gold-colored tie" (63). Initially, Gatsby is still uncomfortable around Daisy, so he is still wearing flashy clothing in an attempt to impress her. Gold also represents Gatsby's reputation, as his yellow car is smeared with blood and damaged, a symbol of his damaged reputation towards the end of the story. The red blood is replacing the bright yellow, showing that his life seems to be fading away. This tarnishing of his reputation foreshadows that his demise is near because everyone loved him for the persona he put up, and now that is gone. In The Great Gatsby, the color gold represents wealth and status, but it is often false wealth as opposed to white which symbolizes real influence.
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