The Color White In The Great Gatsby
1.The Color White in “The Great Gatsby”
In “The Great Gatsby”, the color white is used quite often. In other literary works, white usually represents innocence and class, but throughout my reading I have found that Fitzgerald uses white in a completely different way. White is used in association with many characters, including Nick, Gatsby, and especially Daisy, although I don’t think that white is used to express innocence and class, but rather the illusion of it. The first example of white that I noticed in the book was when Nick was invited formally to a party at Gatsby’s mansion, and “...dressed up in white flannels [to go] over to his lawn a little after 7” (pg. 27). Although Nick isn’t profoundly rich, he wears white flannels to the party to put on an air of class to meet the stupidly rich Gatsby. Gatsby also wears a white flannel suit to meet Daisy for tea. He does this to impress her with his wealth and hopefully win her back. White symbolism is also heavily used when Daisy is mentioned. In fact, Daisy and Jordan “were both in white” (pg. 13) when Nick went to visit them after he …show more content…
Throughout the story she is shrouded in references of light and beauty. Jordan tells Nick of young Daisy, saying “she dressed in white, and had a little white roadster” (pg. 49). The continuing use of white imagery may lead a reader to think of Daisy as innocent, but I think that Daisy is shrouded in light to distract from the fact that she is a self-centered and very destructive person. Gatsby, in my opinion, is not in love with Daisy per se, but with the “whiteness” that surrounds her, joining the army and amassing a fortune out of thin air just to someday win her favor. The only time that white imagery is associated with Gatsby is when he is trying to get Daisy back. Gatsby grew up without money, and is constantly putting on an act to gain the “whiteness” that Daisy exudes, not Daisy
In “The Great Gatsby”, the color white is used quite often. In other literary works, white usually represents innocence and class, but throughout my reading I have found that Fitzgerald uses white in a completely different way. White is used in association with many characters, including Nick, Gatsby, and especially Daisy, although I don’t think that white is used to express innocence and class, but rather the illusion of it. The first example of white that I noticed in the book was when Nick was invited formally to a party at Gatsby’s mansion, and “...dressed up in white flannels [to go] over to his lawn a little after 7” (pg. 27). Although Nick isn’t profoundly rich, he wears white flannels to the party to put on an air of class to meet the stupidly rich Gatsby. Gatsby also wears a white flannel suit to meet Daisy for tea. He does this to impress her with his wealth and hopefully win her back. White symbolism is also heavily used when Daisy is mentioned. In fact, Daisy and Jordan “were both in white” (pg. 13) when Nick went to visit them after he …show more content…
Throughout the story she is shrouded in references of light and beauty. Jordan tells Nick of young Daisy, saying “she dressed in white, and had a little white roadster” (pg. 49). The continuing use of white imagery may lead a reader to think of Daisy as innocent, but I think that Daisy is shrouded in light to distract from the fact that she is a self-centered and very destructive person. Gatsby, in my opinion, is not in love with Daisy per se, but with the “whiteness” that surrounds her, joining the army and amassing a fortune out of thin air just to someday win her favor. The only time that white imagery is associated with Gatsby is when he is trying to get Daisy back. Gatsby grew up without money, and is constantly putting on an act to gain the “whiteness” that Daisy exudes, not Daisy