A Literary Analysis

of The Great Gatsby

By Nefthali Arizmendi
The color green in The Great Gatsby
● The color green has mostly been about Gatsby
● The color green has always had been used in different ways of
symbolizing in this story
● Green means something positive, but it changes overtime
● The word green keeps coming up in almost every chapter
 ● Chapter 1 on page 20-21 says, “...he
stretched out his arms toward the
dark water in a curious way, and,
far as I was from him, I could have
sworn he was trembling
Involuntarily I glanced
seaward-and distinguished
Green Motif nothing except a single green light,
minute and far way, that might
have been the end of a dock.”
● What this means is that Gatsby is
trying to get the Green light but
he’s afraid of it or suffering
through it just like how he is
suffering from wanting Daisy.
 ● In Chapter 3 page 40-41 said,
”...and already the halls and
salons and verandas are gaudy
with primary colors...excited
with triumph, glide on through
sea-change of faces and voices
and color under constantly
Green Motif changing light.
● This shows how the color green
was mixed with different colors
since green is a primary color.
This shows how crazy Gatsby
party. I also see it as how crazy
Gatsby’s feelings are throughout
this book.
 ● Chapter 5 page 92, “He took out a pile of
shirts and began throwing them, one by
one...shirts with stripes and scrolls and
plaids in coral and apple-green and
lavender and faint orange, with
monograms of Indian blue. Suddenly,
with a strained sound, Daisy bent her

Green Motif head into the shirts and began to cry

stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’
she sobbed.”
● Showing how Gatsby’s and Daisy’s
relationship is distorted with many
colors like it’s unclear on what their
relationship is, but it can also symbolize
Gatsby’s and Daisy’s mixed emotions
for each other
 ● Chapter 5 on page 92 Gatsby said
said to Daisy, “ ‘If it wasn’t for the
mist we could see your home
across the bay, ‘ said Gatsby. ‘You
always have a green light that
burns all night at the end of your
dock.”
Green Motif ● This meant that Gatsby wanted
to see his green light again
meaning he wants to see Daisy
again when she talks with
Gatsby again or it could mean
that Daisy is hiding herself
against the mist meaning she’s
hiding her true self.
 ● On Chapter 7 on page 120-121, “ ‘Shall we
all go in my car?’ suggested Gatsby. He
felt the hot, green leather of the seat… ‘Is
it standard shift?’ demanded Tom. ‘Yes.’
‘Well you take my coupe and let me
drive your car to town.’ The suggestion
Green Motif was distasteful to Gatsby.”
● Tom’s car is blue and Gatsby car is
green. Tom wants to switch cars to drive
to town, but Gatsby hesitated. Since
Gatsby sees the color green as Daisy, he
wants Daisy all to himself instead of
Tom getting her and Gatsby doesn’t
want to be in the blue again meaning he
doesn’t want to be alone.
 ● Chapter 9 on page, 180 said, ”I
thought of Gatsby's wonder when he
first picked out the green light at the
end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a
long way to this blue lawn, and his
dream must have seemed so close
that he could hardly fail to grasp it.
Green Motif He did not know that it was already
behind him…,”
● What I see is that the color green
was Daisy and Gatsby was trying to
grasp the green light which was
Daisy, but Gatsby never caught his
green light; he could’ve grasped it
and now Gatsby is back in the blue
lawn meaning Gatsby’s loneliness.
Sometimes you
can’t get everything
A Final Word...
● Always think outside the box
● Don’t think of one thing… think many possibilities and meanings!
● Never judge a book by it’s cover
● Look at the setting
● Look at the COLORS