H.Xie
Beyond the Color
Symbolism is a widely used literature device that helps the author indicate a symbolic meaning beyond the object’s original meaning. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, by applying different colors that represent varying personalities, Fitzgerald characterized his characters not only by their actions but also by their imageries of color. One could never forget the wealthy Gatsby in gold nor the white coated Daisy of purity. However, neither Gatsby’s properties come from a proper way nor Daisy remains pure as what Gatsby imagines. Instead of using applying the commonly perceived definition of a color, Fitzgerald symbolizes the color in an ironic and indirect way that is beyond its original definition.
Admittedly, many literary critics believe that the color in the story is patterned and suggestive. In their minds, color functions as an universal symbolism that reveals only the superficial meaning of the color, like dark as the evil and bright as the goodness (Elmore 427-428). For example, the two dominant colors in The Great Gatsby are yellow and white; they respectively represent the two groups characters from the two eggs — the white Buchanans of East Egg and the yellow Gatsby from the West Egg. Therefore, readers who hold the belief that color only provides superficial explanation will interpret white only as honor, purity and innocence while yellow and gold only as money. However, from Fitzgerald’s reference to religion in color, Fitzgerald’s use of color symbolism is beyond the superficial definition of a color.
In The Great Gatsby, White and its near synonym silver appear more frequently than any other single color. This color is strongly attached to the Buchanan family. While applied to the Buchanan family, the first impression white gives readers is honor and wealth. Readers can feel the Buchanan’s prosper simply by imagining the “a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion” (Fitzgerald 6), or Daisy, the gorgeous girl “in white” whose dress is “rippling and fluttering” (8). However, many literature studies indicate that white in East Egg means more than social class. An important part in the Christianity doctrine, Heaven is persistently depicted as white in Revelation while white means the One, or the God as well. Other descriptions in the book also prove Fitzgerald referring the Buchanan family as the heaven. At East Egg, Nick says “come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens” (Fitzgerald 20). In terms of imagery, the local heaven is obviously East Egg. In this case, Fitzgerald does not simply define white as purity or honor, but infers its religious meaning, white as the heaven. Therefore, it is necessary that one thinks beyond the superficial inference of a color while he analyses how the color symbolism functions in The Great Gatsby.
Besides the reference of religion, white represent Daisy’s immaculacy as well. However, what Fitzgerald finally presents to the readers is a lady chasing only for money while destroying another man’s heart (Bettina 142). Fitzgerald’s purpose of showing the whiteness or the virtue of Daisy is used to underline the ironic disparity between the seeming purity of Daisy and actual corruption (Schneider 248). All of Fitzgerald’s direct descriptions of Daisy are about the beautiful “white girlhood” (Fitzgerald 6), who represents the Southern gentility. Her white dress, white flowers and white car makes her the the former Daisy Fay of Louisville, forever gleaming, forever bright (Elmore 430). However, in the end the readers realise purity and whiteness do not belong to Daisy. She who breaks Gatsby’s heart has a corrupted nature inside her because of Daisy’s money worship. Here presents the irony, created by the difference between Fitzgerald’s direct use of color, describing Daisy’s physical appearance, and Fitzgerald’s implied intention, showing Daisy’s evil nature. Fitzgerald successfully creates an ironic figure with the most shiniest appearance and ugliest nature. One more time, Fitzgerald seemingly uses color symbolism to illustrate the color’s most apparent interpretation, but what he intends to present is the irony of the color, beyond the color’s basic definition.
In addition to the whiteness of Daisy, Fitzgerald plays on her hair color. In this case, Fitzgerald again goes beyond the definition of the color and further illustrates Daisy’s disparity by suggesting a change of hair color. While most of the readers view Daisy’s hair color as part of her blonde appearance and relate the color to the Daisy’s whiteness, they ignore Fitzgerald’s real purpose, emphasizing the change of color instead of the color itself. Daisy’s hair color changes as the plot moves on. In the middle of the novel, Daisy asks her daughter whether“ [I] get powder on [her] old yellowy hair?” (Fitzgerald 117) Later on, Daisy comments on her daughter that they look alike, “‘She looks like me. She’s got my hair and shape of the face’” (Fitzgerald 140). That was when readers confirm that Daisy is a blonde. However, elsewhere in the book Daisy is clearly a brunette. Before Gatsby leaves for war, Gatsby kisses on Daisy’s “dark shining hair” (180). Even so most readers still believe Daisy is blonde. Indeed, the confusion and irony are intended. Fitzgerald creates a character who changes over the novel. Daisy used to stay in black with whiteness in her heart. However, her dream of money drives her to a blonde who has a white but fake appearance with a dark and corrupted heart.
Again, Daisy’s change of hair color proves that Fitzgerald does not simply use the universal understanding of a color. Otherwise, the book would present a reverse situation where the old, brunette Daisy would be the lady with black and vicious mind who turns into the blonde princess Daisy Buchanan.
Another example that demonstrates Fitzgerald’s indirect use of color symbolism is Gatsby. Gatsby’s belongings are clearly pretentious. He drives a fancy cream-colored car, “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 wind-shields” (Fitzgerald 64). Along with his car, his white suit with silver shirt with gold colored tie and “gorgeous pink rag of a suit” (15) smells money. Again, when talking about Fitzgerald’s use of color symbolism, the true focus is not the clear definition of the color itself but what the color infers except its superficial meaning. In this case, Fitzgerald combines yellow and gold to picture Gatsby as a wealthy upper class. However, what he truthfully wants to present is his thoughts on Gatsby’s fakeness.
Most of the readers view both yellow and gold as colors of gold. However, yellow is a pretended-gold, representing the ugliness of the reality that people do not want to face and the “ineffable gaudiness” of the dream (Schneider 251), but yellow is the true nature of Gatsby, a liar who makes up his story and makes illegal money from manufacturing drugs and alcohol. All what he does is to attract Daisy’s attention. Unfortunately, what he appeals are the cheap yellow, instead of the wealthy gold. What Gatsby has is a “scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains”, “a real brass rail” bar (Fitzgerald 40). What the orchestra he hires produces is only the “yellow cocktail music” (40). Whom attracted by Gatsby’s party are only the girls in “twin yellow dresses” (43) and Owl-Eyes who has a pair of “enormous owl-eyed spectacles” (53). However, when talking about Daisy, Gatsby soon abandons his true nature of yellow and turns into the Gatsby with “gold-colored tie” (84) and his toilets appear “pure dull gold” (105), while inspected by Daisy.
Examining two different appearances of Gatsby (gold Gatsby and yellow Gatsby), one can find out Fitzgerald’s purpose of distinguishing the two colors — to illustrate Gatsby’s true personality. While facing Daisy, Gatsby turns into the attractive gold, a wealthy and well behaved gentleman; however, after all gold is not the real appearance but a camouflage of Gatsby, so when he is alone Gatsby turns back to the cheap yellow, a liar who tries to accomplish his dream no matter what he pays for.
From all of the examples listed above, it is not hard to prove that Fitzgerald always goes beyond the basic definition of a color. In order to fully understand his use of color symbolism, the readers need to focus not only the superficial meaning of colors but also the irony and contrast built beyond the colors.
Works Cited
Bettina, M. “The Artifact in Imagery: Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby.’” Twentieth Century Literature 9.3 (1963): 140-42. JSTOR. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.
Elmore, A. E. “Color and Cosmos in ‘The Great Gatsby.’” Sewanee Review 78.3 (1970): 427-43. JSTOR. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1925. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.
Korenman, Joan S. “’Only Her Hairdresser…’: Another Look at Daisy Buchanan.” American Literature 46.4 (1975): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.
Schneider, Daneil J. Color-Symbolism in The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Morris Dickstein. Pasadena: Salem, 1964. 246-52. Print. Critical Insights.