The Role Of Color In The Great Gatsby

Happiness is an unscalable source.

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald speaks about the overlying ideology of wealth not equalling happiness. An abundance of vivacious colors within the wealthier side of East Eggers relays to being within a higher social class in the book; while the lesser classes were situated in rural areas full of lifeless people and dead colors. Throughout The Great Gatsby, color plays a key role in effectively displaying its overtoned theme that happiness is not relative to wealth nor color; it is the relationships in life that are most valuable.

As the theme of color reveals itself to be hidden underneath green, which represented the idea of Gatsby's longing and hopefulness for his future with his dreams of …show more content…
As Nick Carraway began to describe Gatsby, the beginning chapters we notice his extreme amount of wealth flaunting. Such examples being, the extravagant parties thrown, his car, his clothes, the mansion itself. In order to gain access within the golden class(old money), doing so by using his money to buy into it: “On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d'oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold”(40). As the fix-ins of wealth take their places at his party of wealth acknowledgement, a key element in atmosphere displays the true environment “The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music” (40). The representation of this scene proves the party's real identity, as well the host`s. Jordan comes to Nick with a proposal from Gatsby “if you'll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over?” (78). On the day of the afternoon meeting Gatsby continues to try to prove his golden place within society, “opened nervously, and Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and a golden-colored tie, hurried in” (84). The constant trial and inevitable error happens in Gatsby's strive to become part of the golden class, but continuously proving his fake gold, yellow, …show more content…
All the wealth, but sadness is still prevalent. As the valley of ashes come into sight, the bright exterior colors of the East Egg wealth begin to dissipate into the sadness infused, gray land, “a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track...immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight”(23). The gray land hides its inhabitants within in its grasp, as they begin to work and work. Money is not abundant in the valley ashes, but nor are true relationships as we see, are all filled of gray. An example of this is seen specifically after the death of Myrtle Wilson, “Wilson’s glazed eyes turned out to the ashheaps, where small grey clouds took on fantastic shape.” (159) Clearly displaying his pain and grief due to losing his wife; his only possession. All the while he sets his sights on the only comforting thought in his mind, the death of the driver. Not only does do they live a facade of money worship but lost all human soul, leaving it to decay. By the end, Gatsby’s loss of life was due to a bullet of a lifeless, grey-ashen figure to stop his unfulfilled dream from becoming depression.

The entire book describes color being used to represent an ideology.

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