The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a classic American novel that explores themes of wealth, love, and the pursuit of the American Dream. One of the unique aspects of this novel is the use of color symbolism throughout the story. Colors are used to represent various emotions, themes, and character traits. In this article, we will delve into some of the most significant color quotes in The Great Gatsby, shedding light on their deeper meanings and implications.
Throughout the novel, the color green is prominently associated with wealth and the pursuit of success. For example, when describing the extravagant parties at Gatsby’s mansion, Fitzgerald writes, “The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow co*cktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath…” The use of the word “yellow” here is symbolic of wealth and luxury.
Another significant color in the novel is white, which represents purity and innocence. This is particularly evident in the character of Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald describes her as having “a voice full of money,” and her appearance is often associated with the color white. For instance, when Gatsby first sees Daisy after many years apart, he is struck by her beauty, exclaiming, “Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…” Here, the color white is used to emphasize Daisy’s wealth and the allure it holds for Gatsby.
Read these Color Quotes in The Great Gatsby
“The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow co*cktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath…”
“Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…”
“I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.”
“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”
“A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.”
“He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced — or seemed to face — the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.”
“He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.”
“The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.”
“The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.”
“I’m paralyzed with happiness.”
“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”
“He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.”
“There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams—not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.”
“I had talked with him perhaps half a dozen times in the past month and found, to my disappointment, that he had little to say: So my first impression, that he was a person of some undefined consequence, had gradually faded and he had become simply the proprietor of an elaborate roadhouse next door.”
“This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.”
“He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.”
“I felt that I had something to tell him, something to warn him about, and morning would be too late.”
“I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
“Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it…”
“There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams—not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.”
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
These color quotes in The Great Gatsby demonstrate the power of symbolism in literature. The use of colors adds depth and meaning to the story, allowing readers to explore themes and understand the characters on a deeper level. Whether it’s the green light representing Gatsby’s dreams or the white symbolizing Daisy’s wealth, colors play a significant role in shaping the narrative and conveying emotions. So, the next time you read The Great Gatsby, pay close attention to the color quotes and discover the hidden messages they hold.
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