An Analysis of Symbolism in the Great Gatsby

王淑蕾

【Abstract】：The Great Gatsbay is not only an important American classic but also the masterpiece of F.Scott Fitzgerald，who is often considered as one of the greatest American novelist and a most representative author of “the Lost Generation”of the Twenties.There are a variety of reasons for the success of the novel，such as its excellent writing technique，the original narrative form and the remarkable structure of the novel，among which the use of symbolism contributes most to its outstanding artistic merit.This essay will talk about the employment of symbolism in The Great Gatsbay in the creation of settings，characters and objects so as to further understand and appreciate the author's original intention of writing the book and the reflection of the profound social significance.

【Key Words】： The Great Gatsby；the American dream；the Jazz Age；Symbolism

1. Introduction

1.1 Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsbay

Francis Scott Fitzgerald（1896–1940）is an outstanding American author of novels and short stories，as a representative member of the“Lost Generation”of the 1920s and the literary spokesman of the Jazz Age，he is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.Among his four books，The Great Gatsby published in 1925 is considered to be Fitzgerald's most glorious magnum opus. It is a timeless and universal literary masterpiece and it confirms his status as a Poet Laureate in the Jazz Age.

The Great Gatsby follows a cast of protagonists living in the visional town of West Egg in the vicinity of prosperous Long Island during the summer of 1922.In The Great Gatsby，F(xiàn)itzgerald described a cautionary tale of disillusionment of the American Dream，creating a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties.On the surface，it is just a tragedy about a young and mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion for the blondie Daisy Buchanan；the main theme of the novel，however，contains a much wider but less romantic range：it is a vivid picture of the Jazz Age；it is a sad love story about youth and promise along with age and despair；it is a vivid narration of the decline of the American Dream in the 1920s，the spiritual hollowness of the upper class and the decay of morals and values.In a nutshell，it is a mirror of the 1920s America.

2 An Explanatory Analysis of Symbolic Elements in The Great Gatsby

2.1 A brief introduction to symbolism

In literature，symbolism is one of the many tools that writers employ not only to generate interest in one's work but also to represent another abstract meaning to the story.It means an object，a person，an idea，etc.，used in a literary job，film，etc.，to carry with a wide scope of association that represent something either explicitly or in some more subtle way beyond any accurate explanation.For example，the peacock are associated with pride，a skull stands for something dangerous，pink suggests femininity and the images of hearts have become synonymous with love.Because of its subtle enrichment in the narration of the story，symbolism has widely been a writing method of choice for many authors and writers，and thus it has become a mainstay in the literary world.

2.2 Types of symbolism in The Great Gatsby

2.1.1 The Valley of Ashes

The valley of Ashes is probably one of the most impressive symbols employment throughout the novel，F(xiàn)itzgerald describes it as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens；where ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally，with a transcendent effort，of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”.Symbolically，the valley of ashes is a representative of indulgence，emptiness and hollowness of the Americans in the Jazz Age.The valley of ashes represents something gloomy，barren and lifeless， it resembles the loss of integrity，equality，freedom，faith and love in the 1920s.It is a symbol of the corruption of the American Dream by materialism，where moral and social decay as money is valued above everything else.The valley of ashes is also a mirror of the poor at that time，like Myrtle，who wants to be a girl of the upper class but finally ends with a tragedy.

2.2.2 The Green Light

The color green is often associated with hope and vitality.As a striking symbol in The Great Gatsby，the green light represents Gatsbys hopes and dreams for the future and his crave to meet Daisy again and win his lost love back.The green light is mentioned for three times through the context.It first appears in the end of the first Chapter，when Gatsby stares across the bay towards a green light in the darkness.It is a guiding light to lead him toward his dreaming girl，Daisy，who lives in the opposite of the bay.Later the reader finds out that this green light in Chapter Five，when Daisy is invited to Gatsbys extravagant house.Here the green light symbolizes Gatsbys spiritual pursuit to rekindle their love.Situated at the end of the novel，Nick describes the green light as an equivalent to the rise of America and he views the tragedy of Gatsby as a result of the darkness of the environment.

2.2.3 The gigantic eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg

The gigantic eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg，a pair of pale and blue eyes painted on an old advertising bill board overlooking the valley of ashes，are said to be a representative of the omniscience of God merely staring down upon a moral wasteland but to judge the American society silently without doing anything.His empty face symbolizes a disintegration of values，religious，political and social institutions.The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckelburg witness many unpunished crimes，they witness the extramarital love affair between Tom and Myrtle and Myrtles death，they witness all the dishonesty，hypocrisy，snobbery，and cruelty occur around the valley of ashes，they witness the tragedy of Gatsby，and all in all，the tragedy of that era.The gigantic eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg cast an bodeful shadow over the plot in the novel.Fitzgerald repeatedly describes the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckelburg as an image to cohere the whole story together and to emphasize the main theme：the corruption of wealth and the American Dream.

2.2.4 Gatsby's Mansion

Fitzgerald obscurely intends for Gatsbys mansion to be two profound significance of the novel.First，it is a reflection of an unprecedented prosperity and spiritual emptiness of the 1920s boom.People value money and pleasure surpassed morals and values at that time.Gatsby，who leads an extravagant life finances with the money he has earned by bootlegging alcohol and conducting other illegal activities is a representative of that era.Second，the house is the physical symbol of Gatsby's love for Daisy.Gatsby believes that if he accumulates a great enough fortune，he can buy anything，including his lost love.In fact，all Americans have a tendency to believe that if they have enough money，they can manipulate time， staying perpetually young， and buy their happiness through materialistic spending.

4. Conclusion

Commended by Sarah Churchwell as a "cautionary tale of the decadent downside of the American dream"（1977），The Great Gatsby has in many ways been considered a symbol for the “Jazz Age，” a time of extraordinary wealth and excess materials，but Fitzgeralds novel is much more than that on the surface，it is just a tragedy about a young and mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion for the blondie Daisy Buchanan，however，the main theme of the novel，contains a much wider but less romantic range，it is an insight into the flaws of real life during the “Roaring Twenties”，it is a vivid picture of the Jazz Age，it is a sad love story about youth and promise along with age and despair，it is a vivid depict of the disintegration of the American Dream in the 1920s，the spiritual hollowness of the upper class and the decay of morals and values.In a nutshell，The Great Gatsby is a mirror of the 1920s America and Fitzgerald's cynicism and negative views of his society are representative of modernist writers.

When put together all the symbols in The Great Gatsby，the key theme that Fitzgerald is trying to transfer to the readers is unambiguous：American idealism and spirituality have been corrupted by material possessions and wealth.As the famous critic Harold Bloom once wrote，“Never has symbolism played such a crucial part in the very foundation of a novel as it does in Scott Fitzgeralds masterpiece，The Great Gatsby”，it is the employment of symbolism and the symbolic images that embody the essence of the outstanding artistic merit of the novel.

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