Gatsby : Symbols and Motifs

Question 1

Gatsby’s house

Answer 1

• glamour and opulence
• excess and greed
• moral decay
• materialism and consumerism
• mass culture
• technology
• prohibition
• the Lost Generation

Question 2

Cars

Answer 2

“The dust covered wreck of a Ford”
• materialism → he’s keeping something almost ruined
• juxtaposition → cars in 1920s were new, modern + associated with wealth and status

“On weekends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus”
• old fashioned → Gatsby’s attempt to appear as old money
• high wealth and status

“You’re a rotten driver”
• the careless of the rich as ’money can get them out of it’
• Jordan → represents the freedom + carelessness of the 1920s (her name is a play on words of 2 major car companies that focused on presenting themselves as beautiful

“Gray cars crawl along” and “brisk yellow bug”
• juxtaposition → between rich society and the poor
• both represented as insects → parasites (greed of materialism)

Question 3

Gatsby’s Car

Answer 3

“A labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns”
• mirrors Gatsby’s over the top display or material wealth and social status
• dozen suns → emphasises Gatsby’s obsession in showing off his wealth
• it mirrors the sun, so reflects something else and fails to be its own thing because it imitates what’s already there → material representation of Gatsby’s own hidden + secret identity

“Rich cream color”
• cream: old money → trying to be similar to Daisy and replace Tom

“Many layers of glass”
• hidden in plain sight → like Gatsby’s true character
• many layers → Gatsby’s layers of lies to conceal the truth

Question 4

The green light

Answer 4

Represents daisy and the hope that gets by can love her again, the futility of aiming for the American dream
Opposite his house = constant longing for daisy
Green is the colour of envy and jealousy (gastby jealous of Tom)

Question 5

The green light : evidence

Answer 5

“Stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way” → shows his desperation, creates an air of mystery, foreshadows the end of Gatsbys dream

“Green lights that burns all night” → gatsbys love for daisy burns all night, he admits he watches daisy’s dock constantly, he feels that just by being in her presence he’s won her affection

“The colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever” → for Gatsby, yearning for Daisy is more satisfying than being with her, Gatsby vanishes as a result of his undying love

“Gatsby believed in her green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” → he believed daisy could be his, he believed in the American dream, ironic as his relentless pursuit for the American dream was all for nothing

Question 6

Valley of Ashes

Answer 6

Represents moral corruption of wealth inequality and social decay → where poor characters want to escape from and wealthy characters want to avoid