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Mary Emerson Owen

Mrs. Kirschner
English II- Section 2
18 January 2016
Color Journal
Journal 1: Chapters 1-2
In chapters one and two of The Great Gatsby, I recognized the color white to be
symbolic. In chapter one, I think that the white represents purity and being wealthy. These can
be found in the character Daisy and in Tom Buchanans house. When the narrator first goes into
Toms house, he notices how nice the place is. The windows were ajar and gleaming white
against the fresh grass outside (8). This quote gives the house an immaculate feeling, which
makes me wonder if Tom Buchanan is wealthy. Both Daisy and Miss Baker were dressed in
white. That was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all
desire (12) shows how charming the women were. In chapter two, I think that the white
symbolized status. In this chapter, the narrator describes almost everything being covered in
ashes. At 158th street the cab stopped at one slice in a long white cake of apartment houses
(28) does not describe the houses as being dirty or dusty.
This color makes me feel observant. It makes me realize the differences between the rich
and the poor that still occurred during this time period. While chapter two had several example
of white, it also had several examples of dark gray ashes. I think that the narrator was able to tell
who was better off in life. However, the people he met in chapter two were not very nice, which
also tells me that money isnt everything.

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Journal 2: Chapter 3
Throughout chapter three, I found many examples of the color yellow. Most of these
examples occurred in Gatsbys party that the narrator was invited to. His parties are described as
extravagant and luxurious. And now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the
opera of voices pitch a key higher (40) describes how rich the music was. When the narrator
meets up with Jordan Baker at the party, she introduces him to two twin girls who are dressed in
yellow dresses. According to the narrator, Jordan Baker was also seen as golden when he says,
With Jordans slender golden arm resting in mine, we descended the steps and sauntered about
the garden (43). I think that these quotes about yellow represent wealth and high-class status.
This color makes me think a lot about light and money. Yellow is often associated with
the sun, which produces happy and light connotations. Gold is often associated with money and
power. I think these colors are found at Gatsbys party in chapter three because the narrator is
recognizing Gatsby as a wealthy man who throws very lively parties. I think that the yellow also
signifies wealth in the people that attended his party, such as the twins with the yellow dresses.
Someone would have to have money to be able to travel to the West Egg for a party.

Journal 3: Chapter 4
I decided to focus on the color white in chapter four. I found that this color was related to
the city and Daisy in this chapter. The city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar
lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money, (68) describes the city as being ideal
when you first see it. However, you dont see its greed and corruption when you first look at it.
White is also used when Jordan Baker describes how she first met Daisy. She was dressed in

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white, and had a little white roadster (74). This quote shows Jordans memories of first
meeting Daisy. This example makes Daisy seem delicate and pure, like the flower.
I think that the white in this chapter is used as an outside covering for the city and Daisy.
When Nick first sees the city, he sees a bright, shiny, and rich place. However, he also notices
the Valley of Ashes nearby and realizes that the city is not a good as people think. Just as it is
full of good people, it is also full of evil and scheming people who are all about the money. He
realizes that the white exterior of the city can easily be blended to form a darker color. When
Jordan describes Daisy and uses the white symbolically, it gives Daisy a persona of being light,
cheerful, and desirable. Jordan also stated that Daisy was a very popular girl, and many men
wanted to be with her. Describing Daisy using white shows that she is a desirable and charming
person.

Journal 4: Chapter 5
Chapter five includes many examples of the color purple/lavender. The first example is
found when Daisy arrives at the narrators house for tea. Fitzgerald writes, Under the dripping
bare lilac-trees, a large open car was coming up the drive... Daisys face, tipped sideways,
beneath a three cornered lavender hat (85). These references to the color purple signify the
arrival of Daisy. Another example is when Daisy and the narrator go to Gatsbys mansion. We
went upstairs, through period bedrooms swirled in rose and lavender silk (91). This quote
represents the luxury in Gatsbys mansion. Finally, the color lavender is mentioned when Gatsby
shows off his shirt collection when Fitzgerald writes, Shirts with stripes and scrolls and
plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange (92).

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I think that the color purple/lavender represents several different aspects in chapter five.
At the beginning of the chapter, I think this color was associated with Daisy to show her
innocence and happiness. She did not know that she was going to see Gatsby in the narrators
house. When lavender is used in Gatsbys house, I think it represents his luxurious lifestyle.
When he pulls out all of the different colored shirts that he never wears, I think the color
represents a side or emotion of Gatsby that people never really see. Since he usually wears
white, these colors are hidden.

Journal 5: Chapter 6
In chapter six, I noticed that pale light was mentioned several times. I think the color is a
pale yellow/white. Light is mentioned in this chapter when referring to moonlight. For example,
The moon soaked with wet light his tangled clothes upon the floor (99). Another instance
where Fitzgerald uses light is when he described the scene where Nick and Daisy were watching
the movie at Gatsbys party. Fitzgerald writes, Their faces were touching except for a pale,
thin ray of moonlight between them (107). Finally, light is used when Nick is sitting on the
steps at Gatsbys house. The light is used as a contrast to the darkness outside. Fitzgerald writes,
It was dark here in front; only the bright door send ten square feet of light volleying out into the
soft black morning (107).
I think that the use of light in this chapter is to serve as a contrast. In terms of the
moonlight, I think that the light is used to call attention to something. When Nick is telling
Gatsbys real story, the quote about the moonlight on the clothes shows how Gatsby was
exploring himself. He was living by himself along Lake Superior. At the party, the movie
showed similarities to Gatsby and Daisy. The quote states that a ray of moonlight separated the

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two actors on the screen. I think this relates to Gatsby and Daisy because they have been
somewhat distant for the past five years. When Nick is sitting outside, I think that the light
represents the contrast between the world inside Gatsbys mansion and the world outside
Gatsbys mansion. Inside, Gatsbys life seems to be perfect because he has everything he needs
and is very wealthy. From the outside and Nicks perspective, the darkness represents the things
about his life that people normally dont notice. For example, he is a man who is stuck in the
past and consumed with the idea of getting Daisy back.

Journal 6: Chapter 7
Since this chapter was very intense, I noticed that Fitzgerald used many vibrant colors
such as dark red. Before everyone goes to town, they are all cooped up in Tom and Daisys
house in the heat. While Tom is on the phone, Nick notices that, Gatsby stood in the centre of
the crimson red carpet and gazed around with fascinated eyes (116). This scene draws attention
to Gatsby, who doesnt seem to be affected by the heat. I think that this quote foreshadowed
Myrtles death later in the chapter because Gatsby was standing on the blood red carpet.
Myrtles death also includes the color red. Fitzgerald writes, Myrtle Wilson, her life violently
extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick dark blood with the dust (137). This
foreshadowing is significant because Daisy and Gatsby were the ones who hit and killed Myrtle.
I think that the red represents death and decay. Because it is an intense color, I think that
it reflects this chapter well. It helps to foreshadow Myrtles death, and it could possibly
foreshadow that something bad will happen to Gatsby later on in the book. Red can also show
decay and how it has caused the characters to change throughout the story. Daisy and Toms
house is white and red. I think that the red contrasts with the pureness of the white, showing that

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their need for wealth has caused them to become corrupt. Gatsby standing in the center of the
red carpet could also show his decay. Because he has become obsessed with getting Daisy back,
he has lost focus on other parts of his life.

Journal 7: Chapter 8
This chapter uses the color blue to represent Gatsby and Nicks surroundings. Following
the death of Myrtle and the fight between Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy, I think that this color
represents sadness. Fitzgerald writes, The shadow of a tree fell abruptly across the dew and
ghostly birds began to sing among the blue leaves (152). This is the first example of blue
imagery found in the chapter. The second example occurs when Wilson it talking to Michaelis
and is plotting to get revenge on Gatsby. Fitzgerald writes, A blue quickening by the
window, and realized that dawn wasnt far off. About five oclock it was blue enough outside to
snap off the light (159). I think that this quote also shows the grief that Wilson feels for losing
his wife.
I think that this color represents Gatsbys sadness because he knows that his dream to be
with Daisy is unattainable. It represents that Gatsby still lives in the past and that he doesnt
realize how much Daisy has changed. In terms of Wilson, I think that the color blue represents
both the sadness he feels for Myrtle and that he has gained new insight into her death. Because
Wilson finds out that Gatsby was in the car that hit Myrtle, this causes him to become very
moody and unstable, and he ends up killing Gatsby and himself. Blue is often associated with
these depressing feelings.

Journal 8: Chapter 9

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This chapter uses the color green to symbolize Gatsbys life and his hopes and dreams.
The green light at Daisys house stood for Gatsbys dream to be with Daisy again. However, this
dream was unreachable. Fitzgerald writes, Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic
future that year by year recedes before us (180). This quote shows how Gatsby hoped for a
future with Daisy, just like the hope that many Americans had during this time period. Another
example of the color green is when Fitzgerald writes, I became aware of the old island here that
flowered once for Dutch sailors eyesa fresh, green breast of the new world (180). When
Nick was revisiting the West Egg, he noticed that Gatsbys island was the foundation of his
dreams. His mansion and parties showed off his wealth, which he was trying to use to get to
Daisy.
I think that the color green is associated with Gatsby because of his wealth and the
pursuit of his dream. Money is also green, and I believe that this shows some corruption in
Gatsby, which could be one of the reasons why his dream failed. Daisy did not want new money.
She wanted old money because of the status it had. This is why she did not go back to Gatsby
after the fight between them and Tom. Finally, the green light that occurred at the end of chapter
one was also mentioned at the end of chapter nine. This light represents both the past and the
future for Gatsby. Gatsby wanted to be with Daisy so badly that he tried to do everything he
could to alter his future and get her to notice him again. However, he doesnt know that Daisy
has changed from her past self.

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