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Nellie Alonso

Ms. Storer

English 3 Honors American Literature

March 2nd, 2020

One Truth and One Lie

Playwriter and poet William Shakespeare once said, "If we are true to ourselves, we

cannot be false to anyone" (Shakespeare Hamlet). F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great

Gatsby scrutinizes the shady side of society, which is symbolized through multiple colors, which

are used when describing many characters and objects throughout the book. Through his use of

the colors blue and yellow, Fitzgerald conveys the message that all people have a false identity

they reveal to the outside world, and a corresponding true identity that they conceal, and only

God can see both clearly.

By using blue in various descriptions, the novel displays Gatsby's inner self. Nick talks

about Gatsby's past and his relationship with Cody, the owner of the yacht, when he says, "A few

days later he took him to Duluth and bought him a blue coat, six pair of white duck trousers and

a yachting cap" (Fitzgerald 100). The usage of blue shows how Gatsby chooses to have a life full

of luxury rather than having to live in misery where he was before. This displays who Gatsby is

internally because even the yacht owner noticed that his personality is ambitious. Since Gatsby

comes from a low-income family, he has the impression that he can make any decision and has

nothing to lose because he is hanging on to someone else's wealth. He has indirectly lost himself

and his origins. The use of a specific blue cape represents how Gatsby hides his past from others.

One can analyze further how he reserves his past and wants to hide it because he does not come

from a wealthy family, which could be embarrassing when compared to his wealthy peers.
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Furthermore, the book talks about Gatsby's helplessness using the color blue. At the end of the

book, Nick talks about what Gatsby would say if he were alive: "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"

(Fitzgerald 180). By referring to the blue lawn, he refers to Gatsby's inner dreams and desires,

which sadly turn awry. Since he could not have Daisy by his side, he preferred to live in a

delusional manner, that Daisy will leave Tom and return to him one day and also because his

wishes were truncated because of his early death. The color blue represents his helplessness by

reason of many of his goals were cut short by some situation, either because Daisy had a stable

family or because Daisy could not make up her mind. Besides, his wishes were left to him alone

since Daisy never shared the same dreams. It should be noted that the blue represents how he

hides inside, but also the usage of yellow shows how dishonest his exterior is.

Fitzgerald's use of yellow symbolizes the multiple feigned personalities that certain

characters project onto others. After one of Gatsby's parties were over, one of the remaining

guests wearing yellow states, "' I like to come,' Lucille said. 'I never care what I do, so I always

have a good time," (Fitzgerald 43). Later that night, Nick observes, "The large room was full of

people. One of the girls in yellow was playing the piano… She had drunk a quantity of

champagne and during the course of her song she had decided ineptly that everything was very,

very sad—she was not only singing, she was weeping too," (Fitzgerald 51). What the author

means by a girl in yellow is that she also deals with her problems and tries to cope with them by

showing that on the outside, she can look like a rich girl who is not affected by his surroundings,

when in reality she is actually suffering. Although she has these struggles, she also is very

affluent, which operates as some sort of mask to hide what she suffers through. Yellow depicts

dishonest appearances because she may have all the money in the world but if she is poor
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spiritually she cannot be happy inside. In the same way that this girl represents how looks can be

deceiving. Gatsby acts similarly. After Myrtle's death by a car crash, it was under massive

speculation as to who the killer was. One man answered, "' It was a yellow car,' he said, 'big

yellow car. New." (Fitzgerald 139). The yellow car is described as luxurious, which compliments

how the people view Gatsby and how he decides to live a life of luxury and excitement. Despite

coming from a poor and somewhat contradicting background, no one sees this side because he

never gives them an indication that he ever could have been. Unlike the color blue, yellow

represents how Gatsby's exterior is altered by appearances and the value that all of society places

on money and social status. The materials that are described as yellow can affect the personality

of a person to conceal their past and manipulate how others perceive him. Although many

characters may be deceitful to themselves and others, they can never hide who they are from

God.

Yellow and blue are again utilized when describing the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, a

billboard that illustrates two eyes as if they are watching over all. The narrator Nick Carraway

explains the banner in the Valley of Ashes when he says, "You perceive, after a moment, the

eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their

retinas are one yard high," (Fitzgerald 23). George, who resides in this Valley, then explains his

last minutes with Myrtle before she died, "' God knows what you've been doing, everything

you've been doing. You may fool me, but you can't fool God!'. Standing behind him, Michaelis

saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg" (Fitzgerald 159). Dr.

T. J. Eckleburg's eyes are like God's who see through all. By having these visual abilities, he tries

to pus one to reveal who one really is, instead of living a lie. George also tells Myrtle he cannot

fool God because God can see through her heart. The size of his eyes are important because they
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can see and watch all, regardless of appearance. By making one eye blue, Fitzgerald illustrates

the confidence one can have because at the end of the day one will never be able to hide from

Him, no matter how hard one tries. Also, blue color of the eyes is honesty since God is honest

with his words and actions as one should always in order to follow his example. Furthermore,

God or, in this case, the banner's eyes can also identify when someone is untruthful. When

delving more into detail on the billboard, Nick says, "They look out of no face but, instead, from

a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose," (Fitzgerald 23). The

yellow lenses are like an X-Ray, which is used to examine one's true identity. The color yellow

illustrates the dishonesty, and that God can see through every single thing; He has the power to

see between one's personality and the person whom one pretends to be. The color also represents

illumination, which can tie into the fact that God can shine a light on how one acts. With all

these colors considered, dishonesty is a significant factor in the book because many characters

suffer from it. Even though these lies happen every day, God can see right through it. 

Yellow and blue represents how we hide by trying to fit into society. Fitzgerald

ultimately illustrates the central message of a deceitful society, which is represented by the

colors yellow and blue. It represents how cultural dishonesty is present every day and how one

must learn to accept who they are.

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Works Cited

Katie. “Shakespeare Retold.” Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 25 May 2018,

www.carnegielibrary.org/102045-2/.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner's Sons , 1925.