Green Light Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses symbolism in order to reinforce the theme. Gatsby’s view of the green light and the valley of ashes are symbols used to support the theme. Fitzgerald uses the green light to show desire and the valley of ashes to show the loneliness in the work. Gatsby often looks towards the future and just gives up on the past. For example, Gatsby is foreseeing his dreams and desires for the future. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” To Daisy the green light is just a normal light, but to Gatsby the green light is his dreams and his desire and goals for the future. Gatsby struggles with his thoughts of the future and past and is not able to move away from his past leading to his end. Also,…show more content…
For example, Daisy does not know what to do after Gatsby’s death because of all of his money. "What’ll we do with ourselves this afternoon? Cried Daisy, and the day after that, and the next thirty years?" Daisy shows how she was only with Gatsby for his money and now with his death she does not have anything to do. This revealing Gatsby’s lonely life until he had money. Also, Nick states that men are all equal "It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well." Nick states this to show that men are all equal and anyone can do what they believe if they put their mind to it. Showing how a man can accomplish anything with dedication and suffer through loneliness. In conclusion, Fitzgerald uses symbolism in The Great Gatsby to support the theme. The green light shows how someone like Gatsby can want something so bad to put himself through all that pain. He also uses the Valley of Ashes to show the loneliness in the journey of becoming
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