Milia McCoy

September 28th, 2019

Period 7

The Great Gatsby Reflection

( F. Scott Fitzgerald uses color in ​The Great Gatsby ​to give life and substance to the

fantastical and vibrant world of Gatsby. )

Whilst reading the novel, I understood that ​Gatsby​ remains a classic in American

literature through the surreal and vibrant atmosphere developed by Fitzgerald. ​The Great Gatsby

was written nearly a century ago, in an era most readers no little to nothing about- and yet, it still

prevails as a staple novel in literature classes nationwide. Granted, it contains relevant themes,

but I think that through its creative, colorful, and immersive story, the novel really shines.

Fitzgerald masterfally writes characters, environment, and mood in such a way that makes the

words feel alive. As I read, I was able to immerse myself into the colorful world, something that

I often struggle with in other novels. Through a carefully selected color pallette, Fitzgerald uses

color to enhance the narrative of his story by consuming readers in color.

The novel successfully associates colors with certain places and things as well as using

them symbolically. Fitzgerald uses natural associations of color for us to visualize and come to

conclusions of their symbolic meanings. Fitzgerald uses primary colors for prevalent themes

(yellow, blue, and red) as well as secondary colors like orange, pink, and purple to develop a

scene thematically. One of the most prevalent colors in the novel was ​yellow​ as it is symbolic to

to Gatsby’s character. The most iconic image of Gatsby is his yellow car as it symbolizes

Gatsby’s innocent attempt of fitting into the upper class, his charm that ultimately leads to his
downfall. Gold is a wealthy and prestigious color and yellow is similar but not quite that. Gatsby

drives and presents himself with this yellow car, naively trying to present himself as a wealthy

man. Yet yellow is not quite gold and it is shown that despite his efforts Gatbsy is unable to fit

in. His attempts and inability to fit in ultimately becomes his downfall.