Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Essay

The Significance of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

Fitzgeralds use of symbolism in his novel The Great Gatsby plays an important role in the overall message being sent through the story. Symbolism is used to convey the authors ideas to the reader, and it is portrayed by the symbols deeper meaning.

The two symbols that serve the most significance in this story are the green light at the end of Daisys dock that Gatsby sees across the bay, and T.J. Eckleburgs billboard that represents Gods eyes watching over the valley of ashes as addressed by this quote above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose (Fitzgerald) 23. These symbols assist the reader to start seeking out for more clues of other literary devices in order to obtain full understanding of the moral of the story.

The famous Green light at the end of Daisys dock that Gatsby stares at silently as the sun sets, is substantial to the story because the reader can now conclude regarding Gatsbys feelings towards Daisy proven by this quote he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way (Fitzgerald) 20. The glare of the green light makes Gatsby think about his prolonged love for Daisy and, it gives him hope for a second chance with her.

This symbol also portrays a sense of despair, when at the end of the book the light was no longer in presence, so it shows to tell that Daisy is gone and their love has been forgotten due to Mr. Gatsbys death and the other hard to get by obstacles in between the short- term affair that they had.

The other significant symbol in this novel was T.J. Eckleburgs billboard overlooking the valley of ashes, and representing the eyes of god that cant be fooled by anyone.

and I said God knows what youve been doing, everything youve been doing. You may fool me, but you cant fool God! (Fitzgerald) 159, this quote was said by George Wilson as he looks out the window and points out the eyes of Doctor Eckleburg to Myrtle when he finds out she might of had an affair with someone else.

The importance of this symbol is established in the scene were Tom Buchanan, Daisys husband, and Myrtle Wilson meet and have been budding their affair for a while.

It is also brought out to play the night of Myrtles death, when Daisy runs over her with Gatsbys yellow car. By having known this the reader should recognize that Gatsbys is in fact innocent his death was in vain.

In conclusion Fitzgeralds use of symbolism is necessary to obtain the full overall meaning of the story. The green light at the end of daisys dock and T.J. Eckleburgs billboard are the most significant symbols throughout the story because the convey the authors ideas more effectively, help the reader seek out for more literary devices and help build up possible explanations for the conflicts throughout the novel.