Symbols and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

symbolization in The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald presents a novel with intricate symbolism. Fitzgerald integrates symbolism into the heart of the novel so strongly that it is necessary to glance over the book several clips to gain any level of understanding. The overtones and connotations that Fitzgerald gives to the dialogues, settings, and actions is a major reason why The Great Gatsby is one of the classics of the 20th century. ternary themes dominate the text of The Great Gatsby. They are age / loss, appearance / mutability, and perspective. nigh of the novels thematic structure falls neatly into one of these categories. In line of battle to satisfactorily understand the novel, we must examine the roles of these three themes. The word conviction appears 450 clock times in the novel either by itself or in a compound word. Fitzgerald obviously wanted to emphasize the importance of time to the overall design of the book. Time is most important t o Gatsbys character. Gatsbys relationship with time is a major aspect to the plot. He wants to erase five years from not only his own life but also Daisys. Gatsbys result to Nick, telling him that he can repeat the past, is symbolic of the tragic irony that is behind Gatsbys fate. Gatsby exclaims on page 116, Cant repeat the past? Why of tend you can Gatsby cannot accept Daisy until she erases the last three years of her life by telling Tom that she never loved him to his face. Gatsby fully believes what he says and thinks (or desperately hopes) that that is true ab discover Daisy. At one part of the story he actually tells Nick how, as soon as Tom is out of the picture, he and Daisy were going to go to Memphis so they could get married at her white house just like it were five years in front hand. In another scene, when Gatsby and Nick go to the Buchanans for lunch towards the end of the book, Gatsby sees Daisys and Toms barbarian for the first time. Nick describes Gatsbys ex pression as one of genuine wonder and suggests that Gatsby probably never before believed in the girls existence. Gatsby is so caught up in his dream that he becomes vulnerable to the worlds brutal reality. Fitzgerald masterfully creates a time symbolism in the scene when Daisy and Gatsby meet for the first time in five years.