Subject :- Symbols in the Novel 'The Great Gatsby'.
Name: Himanshi Parmar
paper: 22400 Paper 107: The Twentieth Century Literature: From World War II to the End of the Century.
Roll no: 08
Enrollment no : 4069206420210025
Email id: himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com
Batch : 2021-2023(M.A sem 2)
submitted to: S. B. Gardi Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.
What are symbols?
According to Oxford Dictionary,
Symbols is a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g. the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation.
Second definition by same dictionary is,
Symbol means a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
But in literature, the meaning of Symbols is quite different. In literature symbols means something beyond the literal meaning. Means the word is written for a very new meaning. In literary text symbols can be a character, things, words,action, or a concept. The main goal of literature is to enhance readers' experience with Literature, and to give deep meaning to what is spoken. There are many types of symbols in literature,
Types of symbols
1 - Emotions :
Sometimes emotions often come as symbols. And this kind of emotion creates a lasting impression on readers. Emotions also attract readers' constant attention towards any literary texts.
2 - Thematic Connection :
Symbols help to understand complex themes and also connect various themes. So it will be easy for writers to make readers understand which meaning they want to convey.
3 - Character Attributes :
Symbols can help in understanding characters and their actions. Also sometimes their intentions and mind set.
4 - Deep Meanings :
Through symbols, writers convey deeper meanings in their works. Symbols work as a layer sometimes, various readers can find their own meaning from those symbols.
Various Symbols in Literature :
1- Rainbow – hope and promise
2- Red rose – love and romance
3- Four-leaf clover – good luck or fortune.
4- Wedding Ring – commitment and matrimony.
5- Red, White, Blue – American patriotism.
6- Green Traffic Light –“go” or proceed.
7 - Pilgrim hat –Thanksgiving holiday.
About the novel 'The Great Gatsby' :
The Great Gatsby is a well known novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel was written in 1925. The novel covers many themes like racism, sexism, betrayal and tragedy. It is set in the Jazz age, on Long Island, near New York City. The novel is a love story between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, and it depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway, Cousin of Daisy and neighbor of Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsyby consider to be a literary master work and a great American Novel.
The story begins with Nick Carraway's arrival in New York. He bought a house near newly millionaire Jay Gatsby. Nick later comes to know that Jay Gatsby is in love with her cousin Daisy who is already married to a Millionaire man named Tom Buchanan. A man having an affair with Martel. A poor married woman, his husband running a garage. Name of his husband is George who at last in the novel killed Jay Gatdby as a revenge of his wife's murder. Who is actually killed by Daisy in a car accident.
When Jay Gatsby died alone. As no one with him except Nick and Father of Gatsby. The story ends tragically, reflecting American dreams, Disasters and the messy society of that time. Nick becomes desperate and mentally ill. During the treatment in the sanatorium wrote the entire novel as a first person narration. Wrote about his own experience with all the characters.
About the writer :-
F. Scott. Fitzgerald was an American Novelist. His full name is Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was born on September 24, 1896 and died on December 21, 1940. He not only worked as a novelist but along with that he also worked as a screenwriter. He is popular to describe Jazz Age in his work, the term Jazz Age itself popularized by him. Though he wrote many popular works he didn't get much success during his lifetime. But after his death critics widely regarded him as a great writer. He during his lifetime published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. He wrote many novels and other works such like,
1 - This Side of Paradise (1920)
2- The Beautiful and Damned (1922)
3 - The Great Gatsby (1925)
4- The Saturday Evening Post,
5- Collier's Weekly,
6- Esquire.
7- The Last Tycoon (1941)
Symbols in The Great Gatsby :
We find some symbols in the movie. Like the symbol of Valley of Ashes, Green light, eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg, painting in the room of Gatsby(Bull and Bear), East and west, mention of Gatsby, and many more. Which all are symbolising something about characters, situation, future, conditions, society, or sometimes the end also. Here are the most important symbols.
1) Valley of Ashes :-
Valley of Ashes symbolising the dark side of shining New York. Or we can say America. Valley of Ashes placed between East Egg and west Egg. Both are rich areas.
All the waste and dirt of that rich area are deposited in the Valley of Ashes. We can say that, Valley of ashes is satirizing wealthy society and people of upper class who themselves living Meritmongering life, eating healthy food, breathing pure air, and keep their place clean. But behind their pleasure, healthy - happy life, there is a Valley of ashes in which people are suffering from poverty, breathing smoke more than air, living within the dirt and Sludge. Here in the movie, George Wilson is symbolising people who are suffering like this. Along with this Valley of Ashes is also symbolizing the dark side of Industrialism. How industrialism helped the Economics of the country and on the other side how it ruined the environment and people's health as well. Here is the video of valley of ashes.
2) Green light :-
Movie, The Great Gatsby starts with a green light stated across the lake. And we find that gatsby trying to touch it with his hand. Also we find many other important scenes in which the Green light was mentioned, just like the talk between Jay Gatsby and Tom at Tom's house. And talk between Jay and Nick at the last part of the movie. The green light is very important. Green light symbolizes the hope of Gatsby for a mission of marriage with Daisy.and his hope for the future. In general also green colour is always taken as a positivity and as a symbol that something good will happen if there is green shed around. It's a sign of positivity. In the novel, we see green light and the ocean, which also gives an idea of America rising near the ocean. Just like most of the megacities are.
3) The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg :-
The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleberg is a Fading painting of eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes. According to George Wilson, The eyes are the eyes of God, who are judging American society and people and starring the Tyranny of wealthy people towards poor and black people. Here we also find the theme of racism. The eyes of T. J. Eckleberg is the eyes of god and justifies each character. Also in chapter number eight Nick explores the idea of the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg is also representing nothingness in life. And boredom in the world.
4) Mention of Jay Gatsby :-
From the beginning to the end of the novel we find Gatsby's mansion described many times. It is a huge mention stated into the west egg, a place where all the newly rich people are stated. Especially Those who got new money earned by the rise of industrialism. Jay Gatsby is also one of those. He has a huge mention, a full furnished, palace-like house. But his mention symbolises two major things, 1} Grandness, 2} emptiness.
It is very grand and has everything which we can call need and the pleasure like swimming pool, huge furnished bedrooms, waiting halls, Garden, parking etc. Which shows its hugeness. But there is no human being we find accepting Jay Gatsby. He is alone in the huge Villa and trying to come out from this emptiness by throwing grand parties every weekends.one more thing we find here is the contrast between new money and old money. The money which comes from the wrong way gives all the facilities to Gatdby but not happiness. His happiness is still by the side of old money holder Tom Buchanan.
5) East egg and West egg :-
East and West Eggs are two fictional villages Fitzgerald has created to represent the different ideas of the new rich and the old rich. East Egg represents the old rich. Tom and Daisy belong to East Egg. It represents the people, who are born rich and are considered classy, with an arrogant stance toward West Egg. West Egg stands for newly rich people like Gatsby. It is the world of those who make their own fortune and are not rich by birth. East symbolizes corruption, whereas West symbolizes goodness.
6) Green Color :-
Just like the Green Light, Green color runs throughout the novel. It universally represents vitality, wealth and growth. In the novel, green stands for Gatsby’s hope and short life. It symbolizes the bulk of wealth which Gatsby earns to win Daisy back in life. It is the symbol of death too, as Michalis describes the car that kills Myrtle as a green light, though it is a yellow car. The green light thus represents the false status of dream and hope that win nothing for Gatsby.
Clock / Time
The clock in the novel symbolizes the passage of time that has passed and the moments Gatsby wants back. We find a clock in Nick's house when Daisy and Jay Gatsy meet for the first time. Jay Gatsby wins the high living standards to rewind the clock to the times, change what happened between him and Daisy.The love for each other they pine back. In chapter five “the defunct masterpiece clock” represents that Gatsby is still living in the past with Daisy, while Daisy has moved on. The end of the novel also signifies the value of time and the dilemma faced by humans, that the past is unforgettable.
Conclusion :-
Thus to conclude, we are able to say that The Great Gatsby is not a simple love story but also a deep symbolic novel. Which is trying to portray many social, economical issues like Jazz age, Industrialism, Bootlegging, Corruption in morals, Fake love, and crisis of love. Along with that the novel also talks about the contrast between Rich and Poor, like it is Rich who get everything at the end and the Newly rich who are raised into poverty get nothing. For example he was Tom who succeeded to be with Daisy not Jay Gatsby, who became newly rich. The symbols like Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg, Green Light, Green Color, The valley of ashes, East egg and west egg are the most significant to understand and to analyze novel.
References :-
LiteraryDevices Editors. “Metaphor” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
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