In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, The Great Gatsby, color plays a significant role in symbolizing the complexities of the Roaring Twenties and the characters’ hidden desires. While the book bursts with vibrant hues like gold, green, and silver, the color white, often associated with purity and innocence, takes on a much more nuanced and even ironic meaning.
Women in white dresses at a Gatsby party
The Illusion of Purity and the Shallowness of the Upper Class
On the surface, white seems to represent the elegance and sophistication of the wealthy elite. Gatsby’s mansion shimmers with white, from the marble floors to the opulent white suits he dons. Daisy Buchanan and her circle are often draped in white dresses, further emphasizing their perceived purity and grace.
However, Fitzgerald masterfully uses this imagery to expose the stark contrast between appearances and reality. The whiteness surrounding Gatsby and his world is a carefully constructed facade, masking the moral corruption and emptiness that lie beneath.
Gatsby and Daisy reunited in white attire
Gatsby, desperate to recapture the past and win back Daisy, associates white with his idealized vision of her. Yet, Daisy herself is far from innocent. Her world revolves around material possessions and social status, and her pursuit of pleasure ultimately leads to tragedy. The white she embodies becomes a symbol of her shallowness and moral ambiguity.
Lost Innocence and the Impossibility of Recapturing the Past
White also evokes a sense of lost innocence, a poignant reminder of what can never be reclaimed. Gatsby’s yearning for Daisy is intertwined with his desire to return to a simpler, more innocent time. He believes that by amassing wealth and recreating the past, he can erase the years they spent apart.
Fitzgerald uses white to highlight the futility of Gatsby’s dream. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is based on an illusion, a romanticized memory of a time that no longer exists.
The Unattainable Dream and the Tragedy of Gatsby’s Demise
Ultimately, the color white in The Great Gatsby represents the unattainable dream, the yearning for something that is forever out of reach. Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of this dream ultimately leads to his downfall.
The final image of Gatsby, floating dead in his swimming pool, reinforces the tragedy of his unwavering belief in the illusion of white. Just as the pristine white of Gatsby’s world masked a darker reality, so too did his pursuit of an idealized past blind him to the truth.
The green light at the end of Daisy's dock shimmering in the distance
In the hands of Fitzgerald, white becomes more than just a color; it transforms into a powerful symbol of the complexities of the human heart, the allure and danger of illusion, and the inevitable disillusionment that comes with chasing an impossible dream.
