The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

The Use of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby     F. Scott Fitzgeralds clean The Great Gatsby is about a man named Gatsby and his struggle to get ahead the American Dream in 1920s Long Island. He fights to get his stargaze woman and to do so, he must first become rich. Unfortunately, he doesnt really go about it the right way he takes part in some illegal activities with some quite baleful characters, such as Meyer Wolfshiem. The corruption of Gatsbys dream and his struggle to attain his dream are shown by F. Scott Fitzgerald through the use of symbolism, such as Gatsbys railroad car, the eyeball of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, and Gatsby stretching his arms out towards the verdure light across the bay.     Gatsby has a car that is an important symbol in this novel. Gatsbys car represents many problems in the society at that time. His car is very elaborate, It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen present and on that point in its monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a tangle of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns(Fitzgerald 68). It symbolizes the irresponsibility of society and the differences between the superannuated rich and the classlessness of the new rich. It is also the car that Gatsby buys to impress Daisy and that hits Myrtle Wilson, ultimately leading to Gatsbys death.     Another symbol in this book is the enceinte billboard with the eyeball of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg on itAbove the gray land and the spasms of bootleg dust which drift determinationlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. They are blue and gigantic- their retinas are one yard high. They control from no face but, instead from a pair of enormous discolor spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose(Fitzgerald 27).This billboard represents the eyes of God looking out over the vast wasteland of chaste corruption and dying hope. Some might have even say that since the doctor had long abandoned the area, God might have left, also.     Then, there are a few symbols all combined into one. This is the image of Gatsby with his arms stretched out towards the green light across the bay, which is repeated at the end of the novel, fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbors mansion. it was Mr. Gatsby himself. he stretched out his arms toward.