Monday, December 12, 2011
Color in Chapter 1
The use of color is seen throughout chapter 1 of tThe Great Gatsby. The color white is used to describe East Egg and the people who live there. On page 10 it says "Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashional East Egg glittered along the water..." On page 12 it says "They were both in white and their dresses rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the horse." The color white represents the wealth and cleanliness they have. The color white is used again on page 24. "Our girlhood was passed together there. Our white-" This represents Daisy's innocence in her childhood. The color green is also used in chapter 1. "Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock." (page 26) The green light that Gatsby is staring at and reaching for is in East Egg where Tom, Daisy, and Jordan live. It represents the envy and jealousy that Gatsby has for Tom. Gatsby is jealous because he is "carrying a torch" for Daisy but she is married to Tom. These are all of the places I saw color used in The Great Gatsby.
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7 comments:
Nice job Dan. Do you think that Daisy and Jordan are really innocent people? Do their actions suggest purity? Make a notation somewhere in your notes about the dresses becuase there will be white dresses later on in the novel and they will described very differently. In addition, does Tom and Daisy's relationship appear to be something worthy of envy?
I thought the the same thing about Gatsby and Daisy when I saw the part with the green light. What I don't understand is why the light is green? You usually don't see green being related to love or jealousy.
Wow, I totally missed all that white in chapter 1. But, it makes sense that white symbolizes what it does. Also, your thoughts on green light connected a lot of dots for me.
I totally missed how the colour represents all this stuff. This was great Dan! I got the ideas but I didn't see how the colours so closely relates with the main plot. I got that the white meant innocence and purity but I didn't think of the green equalling jealousy.
I definitely see green being able to relate MUCH more with envy or jealousy rather than with hopefulness or new beginnings. "Green with envy" and all that good stuff! Nice, Dan!
Hm, very interesting. I wonder how much Nick feels jealous of Tom and Daisy, seeing as he lives on the West Egg by Gatsby. Since the green of the West Egg symbolizes jealousy, I wonder if Gatsby's lavish parties every weekend are some kind of attempt to compensate/show off to the East Egg residents.
When reading chapter one i noticed everything about the white and how it represented the wealth and innocence, but the "green light" caught my eye. I can now see the connection that the geen light has with the Gatsby's envy for Tom. I do agree with Jasmine though. Why a green light and why not red or yellow?
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