Light and Dark in the Great Gatsby - Assignment Example

 F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” remains one of the most popular and classic American novels of all time. Written in 1925, this poignant, tragic tale of tenderness and loss retains its magic over the passage of years. It is a subtle criticism of the superficiality characteristic of the ‘Roaring Twenties;’ at the same time, it is an ode to a man’s devotion and deep love for a woman. Jay Gatsby, Daisy, Tom Buchanan, and the narrator, Nick Carraway emerge as vivid characters who leap from the pages of the story. Fitzgerald skillfully uses color to embellish his narrative, and imbue it with richness and vibrant life. Color pervades almost every page of the story. Light and dark are woven throughout the narrative, to add to the plot. The brilliant social gatherings that form a large part of the story, contrast with the dark mystery of Gatsby’s antecedents. Fitzgerald liberally uses the contrast between light and dark colors to effectively delineate the setting of his novel, to depict Daisy’s appeal, and to portray Gatsby’s love. Light and dark characterize almost every description of the settings in “The Great Gatsby.” As Fitzgerald introduces his readers to Daisy, he sets her in a room which is “a bright rose-colored space” (Fitzgerald, ). As if in premonition of the dark which is destined to follow in Daisy’s bright footsteps, the breeze in the room makes “a shadow” on the rug (Fitzgerald, ). The scene in which the fatal car accident that forms the crux of the story is set, is painted in dark colors: again, a premonition of the tragic death of Myrtle Wilson which is to occur there. It is “a valley of ashes,” inhabited by “ash grey men,” and “grey cars” (Fitzgerald, ). This dark grayness is further emphasized by the hoarding of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, with his blue eyes and yellow spectacles. Gatsby’s car, which is to be the harbinger of dark death, is painted by Fitzgerald in bright shades. It is a bright yellow car: “rich cream color, bright with nickel” (Fitzgerald, ). The main setting of the story is Gatsby’s house. The house is always glittering with party life and blazes with light, being “lit from tower to cellar” (Fitzgerald, ). The house is also the scene of the final tragic denouement: the murder of Gatsby and Wilson’s suicide. These deaths are represented in the surrounding shadows of the same brightly-lit house: “as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house” (Fitzgerald, ). Every significant setting of the story is invested with alternating dark and light, to echo the plot. Fitzgerald uses light to highlight Daisy’s attractiveness, and her appeal to Gatsby. To Gatsby, Daisy is an innocent, virginal, fragile woman, in need of his protection from the brutal Buchanan. Fitzgerald skillfully conveys this image which captivates Gatsby with Jordan Baker’s description of Daisy: “She dressed in white, and had a little white roadster” (Fitzgerald, ). Daisy favors cool white dresses. She has a bright face, with bright eyes and a bright mouth. In fact, in every description of Daisy, Fitzgerald uses the word “bright” to convey to the reader the radiance she emanates for Gatsby. The brass buttons on her dress gleam in the sunlight, her face glows with sunshine, her voice glows with vibrant life and her dark hair shines. To Gatsby, Daisy, “gleaming like silver” (Fitzgerald, ) is the veritable light of his life. Every description of her is imbued with light and radiance. The reader is made to see her through Gatsby’s eyes. Gatsby’s great love for Daisy is also portrayed in shades of darkness and light. The “single green light” (Fitzgerald, ) at the end of Daisy’s dock is a haunting symbol of Gatsby’s five years of constant devotion to this love. It is as steadfast and enduring as his love and its lonely splendor triumphs over the gaudy glitter of his party illumination. At the same time , the vast distance of water and swirling mist that separates him from the light, makes Gatsby realize the distance between them: “I feel far away from her” (Fitzgerald, ). This distance connotes the darkness which is the counterpoint of Gatsby’s radiant love. Their love must be hidden in the dark shadows. At their first meeting in his house, Daisy looks at the glowing sunset and tells Gatsby, “I’d like to just get one of those pink clouds and put you in it and push you around” (Fitzgerald, ). However, they sit on a couch which is shrouded by gloom as Klipspringer plays the piano. Gatsby’s mansion, which is bright with attractive light, is another symbol of his love for Daisy: he buys the house only to live in her vicinity. He “dispensed starlight to casual moths” (Fitzgerald, ) just waiting for his bright butterfly, Daisy, to fly in one day. Towards the end of the story, in the aftermath of the car accident, Gatsby loiters in the shadow outside Daisy’s house, in case she needs his protection against violence from her husband. The signal to be given by Daisy is symbolic of Daisy’s love: she is “to turn the light out and on again” (Fitzgerald, ). In stark contrast to the constant radiance of Gatsby’s love for her, Daisy’s love is like that signal: she turns it on and off to suit the circumstances of her life. Fitzgerald uses light and dark to skillfully weave his tale. Emotions, characters and psychological states are all demonstrated through this means. The setting of the novel, mainly Gatsby’s mansion, the grey landscape of the car accident, and the car itself, are painted in vivid contrast of dark and light. Daisy is portrayed in radiant colors which convey the image of her which Gatsby carries in his heart. Dark and light are also used to make the reader deeply aware of the love which is the fulcrum of this novel. The constancy of Gatsby’s love is further highlighted by the famous symbol of the green light at the end of his Daisy’s dock. Fitzgerald is a writer par excellence at using color, and contrasting shades of light and shadow, to make “The Great Gatsby” his finest work and a masterpiece of literature. References. Fitzgerald, Scott S. Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher 1 and 2. Chapter 1. paragraph 26 3Chapter 2 first paragraph. 4Chapter 4 paragraph 15 5Chapter 5 Paragraph 1). 6Chapter 6 paragraph 6 from the end. 7Chapter 4 12th page 8Chapter 8. Paragraph 14 9Chapter 1, Last paragraph. 10Chapter 6, paragraph 13 from the end. 11Chapter 5, paragraph 18 from the end. Chapter 3. Paragraph 15 from the end. 12 Chapter 7 Paragraph 16 from the end. Read More