The Color White In The Great Gatsby

The color white is typically associated with purity and light. White is typically predominant in circumstances regarding elegance and symbolizes cleanliness. In “The Great Gatsby”, the color white is utilized to allude to the same ideas but in an ironic fashion. For example, Daisy and Jordan are said to be wearing white multiple times in the novel. When they are first introduced, Nick tells the reader that, “They are both in white and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house” (6). The imagery that the reader gets from this statement is that both women are people of stature, elegance, and purity. The irony is that Daisy does not fit those ideals. Daisy is never a …show more content…
An example of blue in the novel is Tom’s car. When Tom, Daisy, Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby take a trip to the city, Tom is driving in Gatsby’s car with Nick and Jordan while Gatsby and Daisy are in Tom’s car. On the drive over, Tom is burdened about the ongoing affair, but when Nick spots the car on the road, he describes it as an, “easy-going blue coupe” (75). In this situation, the irony is that blue describes exactly what it’s archetypal meaning is, despite the tense situation it’s a part of. More specifically, Gatsby and Daisy are savoring their time in Tom’s blue car, but Tom is distressed that they are alone together. In this case, the specific meaning of blue is peace because those in the blue car are full of peace. Another instance of blue in this novel are the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg which are “blue and gigantic” (17). The eyes of Doctor Eckleburg are always observing the ongoing predicaments and Nick mentions the eyes multiple times in the novel. Doctor Eckleburg is often referred to as if he was created to watch over moral issues that arise in a situation. For example, when George is talking about Myrtle’s cheating with Michaelis, he repeatedly mentions how Myrtle may be able to fool him but couldn’t fool God while looking out the window. When Michaelis turns to see what it is that he is looking at, he is shocked to see, “the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, …show more content…
One instance of the color gray is Jordan Baker’s eyes. Nick repeatedly describes them as her, “gray sun-strained eyes” which she looks at him with out of her, “wan, charming, discontented face” (8). For this reason, Jordan’s gray eyes symbolize how all she sees in her life are dull moments. Jordan rarely shows genuine excitement and is usually neutral if not completely disinterested in the situation. Another situation in which gray is prevalent is in the valley of ashes. The valley of ashes is between New York and is where those who didn’t make it in the rich areas are prevalent. When referring to it, Nick describes it as a, “gray land” where “spasms of gray dust” seem to “drift endlessly over it” (17). The repetition of gray emphasizes the lack of vibrancy in this area. Correspondingly, the valley of ashes represents how the way the life of those not in high society is seen. It is an example to the reader of why someone such as Myrtle who is seen, “straining at the garage pump with panting vitality” in this area would want to escape such a life and enter one with wealth (50). In both situations, the specific meaning of gray is to allude to the dullness and lifelessness of the object being associated with