The Great GAtsby

In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald uses the ideas of social status, the use of color, and eyes as clever symbols. Virtually anything in the novel can be taken as a symbol, from the weather, to the colors of clothing the characters wear. There are three main symbols used in the novel, The East and West Egg, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, and the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg.

The most significant idea in the novel is class and social standing. It is like a barrier for almost every character. Tom and Daisy live on the East which is far more refined and consists of people with more money and a higher social status. East Egg also represents the "old money." Nick and Gatsby are on the West, which is for people who don't have any real standing, even if they have money. The West Egg represents the "new money."

The Great Gatsby (1926 film)

The Great Gatsby (1974 film)

Two Wire haired Fox Terriers. Listed on Flickr as ...

The green light shines from the East Egg to the West Egg luring Gatsby towards what he has always wanted. And Daisy, the woman that Gatsby has always wanted but never gets, lives on East Egg. There is also a barrier of water between the two social classes that keeps people like Daisy and Gatsby apart from one another and keeps them from reaching their goals and what they want in life.

Color was another very obvious symbol in the book. The first was the green light. The light was only a light, however to Gatsby it becomes his dream for the future. "You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock." The light symbolizes hope and dream. The dream is Daisy. Gatsby buys the house across the bay so he can see the Buchanan's light. Later in the story...