Symbolism in the Great Gatsby

Symbolism in the Great Gatsby
Oxford dictionary defines symbolism as the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s novel The Great Gatsby is about a man out of place trying to fit in with a crowed that he does not belong in and failing. Jay Gatsby is a mysterious ‘New money’ millionaire living in West egg and is trying to get back his love of his life; his neighbor Nick who is old money narrates the story. Nick is the intermediary of these many different stories and knows every body’s secrets. Symbolism is shown in many different ways in this book starting from The Valley of Ashes and Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, the green light in the Buchannan’s port and the car are a few of the ways it is used. The aim of this paper is to see which symbol between the three was most important or effective in telling the story of The Great Gatsby.
The Valley of Ashes was an actual valley between West Egg and New York City where factories have dumped their waste and Dr. T.J. Eckleburg was a billboard near Wilson’s garage. We first encountered them in the second chapter. The Valley of Ashes and Dr. T.J. Eckleburg was strategically placed near Wilson's garage and house because that is where some of the biggest scenes take place ex. Myrtle's death and where Tom first introduced us to his mistresses. The eyes were a sign and a reminder that of all the sins committed would not unpunished.
The Green is an indicator of the port in the Buchannan household. We see the green light in the begging when Nick first sees Gatsby pointing toward it. There are many meanings for the green light the most obvious one is that Gatsby misses Daisy. Daisy is part of the fact that the green light means much to him. Gatsby has spent his whole life wanting for something better. Money, success, acceptance, an old money life and Daisy. However, even when he has his large house full of people and all of their attention, he still longs for Daisy. Therefore, the green light stands for all of Gatsby's longings and wants.

Gatsby’s bright yellow car was first shown when he was taking Nick for a ride in his house. The car plays a big role in the book. Back in that time, owning a car was always seen as a symbol of status. Gatsby's car is an embodiment of his wealth. The fact that Gatsby's car is yellow instead of the standardized black, showed his obsession of displaying his wealth to get the love of Daisy. The yellowy and visible color of Gatsby's car also symbolizes decay and corruption; since it was very distinctive, it was the reason the witness could recognize it and Wilson could eventually have track him. It is very important to the story because it is the object that opened up the way to the climatic period.
The aim of this paper is to see which symbol between the three was most important or effective in telling the story of The Great Gatsby. Symbolism is shown in many different ways in this book starting from The Valley of Ashes and Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, the green light in the Buchannan’s port and the car are a few of the ways it is used. In my opinion, the car was the most symbolic because it had more than one way of explaining the book starting from simple showing off to Daisy, to the detective work by Wilson and to the death of the character. The Valley of Ashes was the most subtle but once you figured it out it showed many of the hidden truths. Finally, the green light was the most reveling of Gatsby it showed his inner thoughts and feeling and made it stand out.