On the Implication of Three Objects Images in The Great Gatsby

何麗娟

Abstract：

The Great Gatsby is a world famous novel and brings its author F. Scott Fitzgerald a huge and lasting fame. As a masterpiece， it has been studied worldwide ever since it was published. The already existed studies are mainly concerned about its background， to wit the rolling 20s，its writing characteristics especially its narrative angle and its impressionism and its metaphors of the valley of ashes and the color words. This paper researches on the three technological products namely the telephone， the car and the gun. First it introduces the lost generation. Secondly， it analyzes the circumstances these three objects are respectively involved， concluding that their implications are all negative. Last through associating their implications with the background， it induces the author's confusion.

Key words： Lost Generation； Telephone； Car； Gun

中圖分類號：G623.31文獻標識碼：B文章編號：1672-1578（2018）03-0122-01

1. Introduction

In order to have a better knowledge of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby， I have searched several essays， among which the following five are instrumental.

In his essay Dong Lianghe （Dong， 2011） points out that "the Lost Generation" is the exclusive outcome of the WW1 whose writings are brimful of a sense of desperation. In another essay， Zhao Ying （Zhao， 2008） takes the car in the book as a subject. She analyzes the incidents happened in and concerned about the car， concluding that the car in the book is a root cause of tragedy， thus the metaphor of destruction and death. Chen Fachuan （Chen， 1997） says that the car is a contradictory body for it is convenient but also dangerous. She also analyzes the function of the car in terms of structure， concluding that the car enhances the development of the story. Li Xiaona （Li， 2010） tells us that the birth of the lost generation is due to World War One. At that time the American government described the war as a holy war for freedom and happiness， lots of young patriotic men joined in the army. However what they saw in the war was nothing but massacre and death， totally different from what they had expected. In the end their beliefs were dashed and they became perplexed about the future. The author also points out that writings of the lost generation are mainly concerned about two themes， one being resentment to the war and the other being the smashing up of American Dream. Li Xing （Li， 2013） points out that the time background of the birth of the lost generation is World War One， which incurs sharp social contradictions and severe spiritual crisis. He also says that the novels of the lost generation emerged because the western world after World War One is dominated by a sense of disillusion， of which Fitzgerald is a representative. And the author says that Fitzgerald's novels hold negative opinions about traditional western moral code and values. O'Meara，L （O'Meara， 1994） focuses attention on the blue coupe in the book owned by George Wilson. In the author's opinion， the blue coupe is a medium of exchange both in tangible and in intangible transactions which is adultery， a case of moral destruction. In his essay， Levitt，P.M （Levitt， 2012） through analyzing the incidence involved the telephone， shows the functions of the telephone in the book as an elicitation of character traits and an engine to propel the action forward.

2. Objects Image， Implication and Symbolism in Literature

Symbolism is often used by writers to enhance their writing. Symbolism can give a literary work more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.

In literature， symbolism can take many forms including： （1）. A figure of speech where an object， person， or situation has another meaning other than its literal meaning. （2）.The actions of a character， word， action， or event that have a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story.

Besides， a metaphor is a figure of speech that uses symbolism. Firstly， it compares two things that are not similar and shows that they actually do have something in common. In a metaphor， there is an additional meaning to a word. This makes it an example of symbolism.

For example： Time is money： This is symbolic because it warns you that when you spend your time， you are giving up the opportunity to be doing something else with that time （just as when you spend your money， you give up your chance to do something else with the money）. Further， like money， time is not infinite.

3. Implication and Symbolizing of Car&Train;

3.1Gatsby's Yellow Coupe。The car appears in the story quite frequently. And actually the story begins with Nick driving to dinner in Daisy's house and ends with Nick selling his car to the grocer. Also the climax of this novel happens in front of a garage.

It is a garage owned by Wilson， the husband of Myrtle who is Tom's mistress. The garage of repairing， buying and selling cars does not bring any fortune to its owner.

In the story two cars are given special attention， one being Tom's blue coupe and the other Gatsby's yellow coupe.

"It was a rich cream color， bright with nickel， swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes， and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns."（Fitzgerald，2007）

This is Gatsby's yellow coupe. This car stands in front two times. The first time is when Gatsby drives with Nick to lunch in New York City. On their way， they encountered a hearse and are stopped by a policeman due to over speed. The other time this yellow car running on the way is when Gatsby， Nick， Jordan， Tom and Daisy are going to New York City. On their way there the car is driving by Tom who stops at Wilson's garage to have some gas. It is in this rundown garage that the yellow car makes its appearance before Wilson and Myrtle for the first time. On their way back home， the yellow car is driven by Daisy. When it again passes the garage， it deprives Myrtle's life. And because of this accident it is called by the newspaper as "death car". Gatsby as the owner of the yellow car is regarded by Wilson as the murderer. Wilson find out Gatsby's mansion and kills Gatsby as well as himself.

Just like the god of death the yellow car are the causes of the death of Myrtle， Wilson and Gatsby either directly or indirectly.

3.2Tom's Blue Coupe。Tom's blue coupe never stands in front of us. Instead it exists in the talking between Tom and Wilson， from which it is known that the blue coupe is the very link between Tom and the garage keeper Wilson. On one hand， the blue car is a normal commodity， the very object Tom and Wilson are in deal. It is an unfair deal， totally manipulated by Tom and deprives Wilson of every autonomous right. On the other hand， it serves as an excuse for Tom to often visit Wilson's garage， thus helping his odious adultery with Wilson's wife.

In a word， this blue coupe acts as an exchange medium of two transactions， one being autocratic and the other obscene.

3.3Other Cars。In addition to these two cars， there are in the novel many less obvious descriptions about cars.

Gatsby and Daisy were first seen together by Jordan in Daisy's white roadster.

Myrtle and Tom first meet each other on a train and afterwards every time when they want to see each other， it is the train that carries them to their secret apartment in New York City. In another way the train has not only started their affair but also nourished it.

Tom's affair with a hotel maid in his honeymoon is brought to light by a car accident.

A talking about driving a car between Nick and Jordan changes their relationship into abortive romance.

The guests to Gatsby's luxurious and extravagant parties are carried by the car. In another way the car carry them to extravagant orgy and corruption.

There are two another descriptions involving car. One is a car accident on the way back home after Gatsby's party is over. Another is also an accident .Henry L Palmetto of theater and one of those people who come to Gatsby's party that summer killed himself by jumping in front of a subway train in Times Square. Both are connected in a way to injury or death.

In short the car in this novel is always connected with something destructive and evil.

4. Implication and Symbolizing of Gun

The gun only appears in this novel two times. Both times it turns up indirectly one through the word "shot" and the other through the word "shots".

"Then he went out on the sidewalk， and they shot him three times in his full belly and drove away." This is the first time the gun makes its appearance in this novel.

According to "The chauffeur-he was one of Wolfshiem's protégés-heard the shots-afterward he could only say that he hadn't thought anything much about them". This is the other description of the lethal weapon which takes the life of Gatsby and also the life of Wilson. One of them is a wealthy and upper class personage， while the other is only a poor and petty garage keeper. The gun erases their gap in wealth and status， but offers an outlet of a man's exasperation and a way to end and evade his desperation of life. What's more in this novel the gun takes the life of the wrong man， and makes the true criminal free of charge， thus fostering social disorder.

In short， the gun in this novel is connected with impulse， desperation and social disorder. Wilson makes a living selling， buying and repairing cars. Gatsby makes a living doing illegal business supported by the telephone. In a way， Wilson and Gatsby are alike in that they depend and live on new things and that they are both killed by gun. Their end is the end Fitzgerald designs for the new things， which is death caused by the gun， an outcome of the old civilization. So the old kills the new. The new is refused by Fitzgerald.

5.Conclusion

The telephone and the car are new inventions in the second industrial revolution a few years before World War One. They are the symbol of wealth， power， and scientific advancement. They are the fruits of human civilization. And as we know the gun was at first used for hunting and self-defense and was just a tool like a stick but only more efficient and powerful. However in World War One， the telephone began to be used to transmit intelligence and the car began to be used to transport soldiers and casualties and the gun began to be used to conduct slaughter. They somehow got connected with fighting and bleeding. After World War One， as described in this novel， their nature changed.

The telephone and the car are new inventions in the second industrial revolution a few years before World War One. They are the symbol of wealth， power， and scientific advancement. They are the fruits of human civilization. And as we know the gun was at first used for hunting and self-defense and was just a tool like a stick but only more efficient and powerful. However in World War One， the telephone began to be used to transmit intelligence and the car began to be used to transport soldiers and casualties and the gun began to be used to conduct slaughter. They somehow got connected with fighting and bleeding. After World War One， as described in this novel， their nature changed.

In The Great Gatsby， the car carries people to over-extravagant parties at which people indulged in heavy alcohol and endless entertainment. It incurs the interrogation from policeman. It secretly maintains adultery. It witnesses an one-party-dominated transaction. It is a killing tool， depriving three people of their lives directly or indirectly. It is the cradle and catalyst of abortive loving affairs.

Being both antiwar and repulsive to traditional human civilization， Fitzgerald is a poster boy of the lost generation.

References

[1]Baym， Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature Fourth edition Volume[M]. New

York： W.W.North and Company.

[2]Fitzgerald， F. S. The Great Gatsby [M]. United Kingdom： Penguin Books Ltd. Publishers， 2007.

[3]Levitt， P.M. Telephones， Doubling， and Vicarious Learning in The Great Gatsby [J]. London：

The Midwest Quarterly， 2012.

[4]O'Meara， L. Medium of Exchange： the Blue Coupe Dialogue in The Great Gatsby [J]. New

York：Patheon， 1994， 73-86.

[5]Zable， Morton D.， Literary Opinion in America[C]， New York： Harper & Row， Publishers， Inc.，1998.