An Analysis of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

1、 ContentsAbstract.2Chapter One Introduction2Chapter Two The Characteristics of Symbolism in The great Gatsby32.1 Impressionistic symbolic images.32.1.1 The highlight of light32.1.2 The symbolism of color42.2 The combination of symbolism and irony5Chapter Three The Embodiment of Symbolism in The Grea

2、t Gatsby63.1 Symbols of geographical position63.1.1 The ash valley63.1.2 The east and west in the novel73.1.3 The pier73.2 Symbols of characters83.2.1 Gatsby83.2.2 Daisy83.2.3 Nick9Chapter Four Conclusion10References11Acknowledgements12An Analysis of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Abstract: Born in 1

3、896, Francis Scott Ki. Fitzgerald is a very famous novelist in the United States. He has created many novels in his life and achieved brilliant results. It is the spokesperson of the Jazz Age. In his novel career, The Great Gatsby is his proud work, which has made his writing career a peak and deter

4、mined his position in the history of modern American literature. In the novel Great Gatsby, the main portrayal is the true face of American society in the 1920s. It is depicted from an objective perspective and depicts the tragedy of the United States. In the process of creating this novel, it is ma

5、inly The use of symbolic techniques, but the shaping of the characters thinking and character, which can make the story more tortuous and thought-provoking, has a certain research value. In view of this, this article takes Francis Scott K. Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby as an example to conduct

6、in-depth research and explore symbolism in The Great Gatsby. This helps to gain a deeper understanding of The Great Gatsby.Key words: Francis Scott Fitzgerald; The Great Gatsby; SymbolismChapter One IntroductionIn 1925, F.S. Fitzgeralds masterpiece The Great Gatsby came out, and it became a bestsell

7、er as soon as it was published, but the book was not immediately favored by the literary world. The Great Gatsby was neglected with its author in the 1930s and 1940s. It was not until the late 1940s and early 1950s that a “Fitzgerald Renaissance” campaign was launched that the book was pushed into t

8、he sight of people. This book can be regarded as the classic representative of the epitome of American society. It describes the empty, hedonistic and contradictory spirit and thought of the Americans in the 1920s. This novel, set in the post-World War I, seemingly describes the love stories of the

9、upper and middle class in the 1920s. In fact, it truly records the social culture of the United States at that time and the confusion of young people in the face of the disillusionment of the American Dream. This book is a masterpiece in both creative thought and artistic style. It has profound soci

10、al significance to the American and even the world literary circles. This book establishes Fitzgeralds position in the history of modern American literature and makes him the spokesman of the “Jazz Age” and one of the representative writers of the “Lost Generation” in the 1920s. Literary works of ev

11、ery era have their own writing styles and school of the times. The Great Gatsby is a literary work with outstanding characteristics in the 19th century. Author Fitzgerald uses its superb writing skills to show his unique art style, which is one of the most typical symbolic writing skills in this nov

12、el. Flexible use of the symbolic narrative content has more practical significance, and also has the dream of color. Gatsby, the hero of the novel, is a very contradictory person. Although he often criticizes the rich people in real life with righteous words, he yearns for such a life very much. The

13、 creation of such contradictions highlights the psychology of most people in those days. Through the establishment of conflicts between the rich and the poor, Fitzgerald brought his rich creativity into full play. Gatsby, the leading character, is crazy. His life is absurd but also full of drama. Th

14、e author uses a humorous and critical tone to integrate symbolic techniques into the whole work, which is very meaningful for the establishment of the theme of the work. Therefore, this paper attempts to make a detailed and systematic analysis of the application and significance of symbolism in The

15、Great Gatsby. On the basis of careful reading of the original text of the novel, combined with the authors background and the content of the novel, the thesis intentionally studies and attempts to use symbolism theory to analyze the novel, in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the theme of t

16、he novel.Chapter Two The Characteristics of Symbolism in The great GatsbyThe rise of symbolism in France in the late 19th century is an important part of literary schools and literary trends of thought. It is believed that voice, outline, color, etc all have spiritual meanings. The author uses his i

17、magination to embody their spiritual meanings in his works. The Great Gatsby is a typical work to explain and apply symbolism. The following is a brief analysis of the characteristics of symbolism in The Great Gatsby:2.1 Impressionistic symbolic images.In the 19th century, the Impressionist School w

18、as born in France. The Impressionist School mainly paints through the depiction of colors and expresses the inner feelings of the painter. This form is abstract.After 1880, Impressionism became an international movement and gradually had a certain impact on literature and art. Impressionist writers

19、do not pursue absolute truth in their works, but they pursue the impression they produce on things at a certain moment, In this way, the thoughts and feelings of the characters can be better reflected. However, in the process of literary creation, writers also emphasize the use of light and color, w

20、hich can better express the character of the character and the inner feelings of the character.2.1.1 The highlight of lightFitzgeralds works are influenced by impressionism, and the symbolic images in The Great Gatsby are mostly impressionistic. The Great Gatsby is full of descriptions of light, inc

21、luding the interlacing of different light and shadows, such as moonlight and light. The whole story is unfolded from the recollection of the narrator Nick. When Nick first saw Gatsby, Gatsby was staring at the stars, starry and thoughtful. After Myrtles death, Gatsby stood in the moonlight again, th

22、is time alone and lonely, creating a lonely atmosphere. At the end of the novel, also in the moonlight, Nick recalls Gatsbys ideals and dreams. In addition to the description of the moonlight, Fitzgerald also shows the mobility of light through the description of many scenes. For example, Gatsbys ho

23、me was always brightly lit, and even in dim nights, there were still colorful lights, so it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night, and the light was luxurious and charming. In addition to making people feel bright, light also gives people a sense of distance and mystery. Under the impre

24、ssionist literary writing technique, the inaccessible feeling of light is expressed more clearly. The light that runs through the works reveals a dynamic and flowing aesthetic feeling to the reader. On the one hand, it highlights Gatsbys illusory dreams, which are always unpredictable and unreachabl

25、e. At the same time, it exposes the absurd and illusory life of the upper class. The opening of The Great Gatsby began in a brilliant and dazzling light. Nick drove to the luxury area on a summer evening to visit Tom and Mrs. Tom. In addition to the warm sunset, the golden palace-style Gatsbys mansi

26、on catches his eye. In this fragment, the author presents the reader with a gorgeous, gentle but strong light picture, and the plot of the story unfolds accordingly. When the storyline developed to a climax, Fitzgeralds portrayal of light was even more extreme, and contradictions became more promine

27、nt under the light. In the dazzling sunshine of the noon, Daisy couldnt stand the heat of the weather, so everyone followed her advice and prepared to go to London. When Gatsby and others were about to arrive in London, it was already at sunset. During this period, although the sun still shines in t

28、he sky, the moon has gradually appeared in the sky. The suns rays and the moons rays interlaced in the sky, giving the impression that it was not the beauty of the sun and the moon, but an extremely chaotic light scene. The chaos of light implied that the development of things had begun to change, a

29、nd various contradictions had slowly erupted. When the tragedy came into being, the light in the authors works began to change from strong to dim, and the plot of the story began to slow down and depressed. Throughout the story, the light in Fitzgeralds works always changes with the development of t

30、he plot. Through the light, what the author shows the reader is the complex story plot change. Under the glamorous appearance, it is actually the destruction of the American dream.2.1.2 The symbolism of color In addition to the use of light, the description of color is also popular with impressionis

31、t artists. Authors like to use color to show readers another clear picture, deepen the characteristics of different scenes and characters in their works, and show different ideological trends of characters. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald also uses colors to show the appeal and artistic charm of his

32、 work. In the works, we can see the golden turkey, the green grass, the blue sea, the pink sunset and the colorful hall. These rich colors fully reflect the characteristics of impressionism, and show the literary works to the readers with a pair of color oil paintings, clear and visual. In the whole

33、 novel, the colors represented by Gatsby and Daisy are the most outstanding. The appearance of Gatsby is closely related to green, and Gatsby in the novel is always accompanied by a green description. When Gatsby appeared for the first time, the background depicted by the author was a green light in

34、 the boundless dark sea, while Gatsby looked at the green light and stretched out his hands, seemingly clear but blurred. The first appearance of green told that Gatsbys dream was out of reach, but failed to see through. The green light appeared many times in the text. Gatsby stood at the pier many

35、times to look at the green light. This green light actually represents Gatsbys dream. During his service, because of his poverty he failed to pursue his true love, he was determined to become rich. Only when he became a superior person, would love and fame and wealth come towards him. Therefore, he

36、not only had his own pursuit of money, fame and wealth, but also did not give up the pursuit of Daisy. Green represents hope and Gatsbys dream. His persistence in green shows his hope for a better future and his expectation for love. But the distant green light is inaccessible and untouchable. It ca

37、n only be seen from a distance, which indicates that Gatsbys dream is ultimately illusory, and only when he really entered the upper class, did he realized that his dream had already disappeared. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded

38、us then, but thats no mattertomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms fartherAnd one fine morningSo we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. (Fitzgerald, 2004, 223-224)The heroine Daisys symbolic color is white. When Gatsby first met Daisy, she was wearing

39、 white clothes and driving a white car, so Daisy was the embodiment of purity and beauty in Gatsbys heart. When Nick first visited Daisys house, the first thing he saw was Daisy in a white dress. In addition, white has appeared many times in the works. From the point of view of symbolism, white is a

40、 symbol of purity and innocence. Daisy in a white dress is the representative of the goddess of purity in the eyes of Gatsby. Even on the day of Gatsbys accident, Gatsby described Daisy to Nick as shining silver, which also indicates Gatsbys persistent pursuit of Daisy. However, in addition to these

41、 beautiful implications, if white is compared with other colors, white has no color, no content, so the essence of white is actually nothing, which means lack. This is related to Daisys beautiful appearance and empty heart. Daisy in a white dress is like a pure and lovely angel, but her soul is empt

42、y and boring. Although she loves Gatsby, she loves Toms wealth more. This color of nothingness has always been around Daisy. In fact, it has also become the most typical female representative in Fitzgeralds works, Although the appearance is beautiful, the heart is very empty. In the process of Gatsb

43、ys pursuit of Daisy, it is only a single appearance of coveting the beautiful appearance of Daisy, ignoring the inner beauty and pinning his dreams on the body. Therefore, it is better to bring out the American people at that time to pursue the American dream. It is such illusory, and the final resu

44、lt is only destruction. This also indicates that Gatsbys tragic fate begins here.2.2 The combination of symbolism and ironyFitzgerald is adept at using sarcastic descriptions to reinforce symbols. The heroes in the novel Great Gatsby are unfettered, but their hearts are not pure enough. From the abo

45、ve, it can be concluded that white usually represents indifference and ruthlessness, but white represents noble and Chinese New Year. In the process of authors creation of the Great Gatsby novel, it is a bit ironic to compare the white of the clothes with the white of the mind. Although Daixis appea

46、rance is very beautiful, his heart is very empty and dirty. Gatsby liked Daisy very much, and when Gatsby had money, he took part in a luxurious dinner. A lot of things at the dinner are yellow, and yellow represents wealth, a symbol of power and status. When Gatsby brought Daisy into a luxurious vi

47、lla, he couldnt wait to show the comb made of pure gold to Daisy. When Daisy saw the comb made of pure gold, his eyes were lighted and he was lost in front of money. It is. He believes that money is omnipotent, and he can do a lot of things through money. In the United States, yellow and gold repres

48、ent wealth. Because of the proliferation of money worship, people in the United States have become more distorted and lost their traditional morality. This is a great irony of peoples belief crisis. In The Great Gatsby, books and newspapers symbolizing the spiritual wealth of mankind have become a t

49、ool of recreation. The fine book in the Gatsbys library, which has not been cut open, is just decoration. And The New York Gossip, which Mertel bought at the newsstand, and several magazines devoted to gossip on Broadway that appeared later, show that Tom and his mistress can only rely on such vulga

50、r newspapers as New York Gossip to pass away their decadent lives. Then, there were the heartless guests. Every two weeks or less, Gatsby would hold a party in his extravagant villa garden, and every time there would be a lot of guests coming. Men and women swinging back and forth were like moths am

51、ong the laughter, the champagne and the starlight. Among these people, only a very small number of guests were invited, most of them came uninvited for the purpose of seeking fun, eating and drinking for free. Many people did not even know Gatsby. While enjoying the delicious food and entertainment

52、feast provided by Gatsby, they guessed, judged and slandered Gatsby without foundation. After Gatsbys death, only one of them appeared at the funeral, and the others had already disappeared. The names of these guests are either animals or plants. One couple, for example, is called the Leeches, which

53、 is the English word for Leeches, the notorious “vampires”. Animals bitten by leeches will bleed endlessly even died of serious infection. Addressing the couple in the name of leech reveals the essence of their attachment to others, their greed for money, food and all other material wealth vividly.

54、There was also a literati engaged in the drama industry named Duckweed, whose name means duckweed, implying that this literati was empty and had no support. In the novel, the author introduces the ironic names of these guests through Nick, and the number is as many as three pages. Such descriptions

55、symbolize the great imbalance between the material and spiritual development of American society at that time. In the capitalist society where money is the supreme, peoples decadent and depraved thoughts are presented by such ironic symbols. Chapter Three The Embodiment of Symbolism in The Great Gat

56、sbyThrough the above discussion of the characteristics of symbolism in The Great Gatsby, we have a holistic perception of the symbolism used in the novel. Fitzgerald carefully shaped the typical characters under the background of his times by using realistic writing method, This can profoundly refle

57、ct the mentality of the people at that time, through the mentality to reveal the loss of human morality and despair. Based on the text, this chapter makes an in-depth analysis of the expression forms of symbolism. The following is a detailed demonstration of the use of symbolism from three aspects:

58、geographical location, seasonal weather and the protagonist of the novel. 3.1 Symbols of geographical position3.1.1 The ash valleyThe Ash Valley is a very important scene in the novel, which is described from the beginning to the end of the story. Its a valley of industrial garbage ashes, “an odd fa

59、rm, where ashes grow like wheat”. This dead place, no life, ash piled up into hills and covered everything here. It makes people cant help but think of the poet Eliots description of the “wasteland”, which is the result of modern industrial civilization where people are greedy for pleasure and spiritually desolate. The symbolic meaning of the Ashy Valley is extremely deep.In the jazz era