Symbolism in The Great Gatsby and The Raven Essay - 883 Words

Symbols are secret messages that are embedded in the texts of literature. Some symbols are more well-known and better understood than others. Authors use symbols to tell how they are feeling (Overview). The symbols in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe are very different; however, they are still very important throughout both pieces of literature. Throughout The Great Gatsby the narrator, Nick, describes the colors that the characters wear and colors that are shown throughout the novel. The colors serve as major symbols in the book. â€Å"Daisy’s white wardrobe, the image of the green light across the bay, the yellow coupe- each color represents a character trait or idea (Weisbrod, 105).† Gold is†¦show more content†¦Nick associates Gatsby’s dream with Daisy to the American dream, and that all things come a new. â€Å"At various times, the colors work to convey multiple meanings, to stand for character traits, or to enrich atmosphere (Weisbrod, 105).† Another symbol in The Great Gatsby is time. This becomes evident as time harasses Gatsby throughout the novel. â€Å"The clock ticked on the washstand while Gatsby spun his gaudy, youthful dreams of the future. Significantly, even then, his memory is punctuated by sounds of time and â€Å"ticking†, and, at Gatsby and Daisy’s first meeting after five years, in Gatsby’s embarrassment he almost smashes the defunct mantelpiece clock†. Gatsby tries desperately throughout the story to recapture the past to win Daisy back. The people who attended Gatsby’s parties were written on a timetable. Throughout the story, Gatsby seems obsessed with a better time, a past, he wants to reclaim. Weather in The Great Gatsby is also a significant symbol. The weather matches with the emotion in the book. It begins to pour when Gatsby and Daisy are reunited. This shows the awkward, unknowing, and unresolved feelings of the past. When their love reawakens, the sun comes out. Gatsby’s ultimate confrontation with Tom happens on the hottest day of the summer under theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Walt Whitman s I Hear America Poem1314 Words   |  6 Pagesclasses. We’ve gone through so much as a class, had many assignments along the way–some that I enjoyed, while others not so much. We rewrote the Declaration of Independence, Walt Whitman s I Hear America poem, and argumentative essays, like out The Raven analysis. We also gave speeches– that was the hardest for me, in my previous English classes, none of them made me go in front of the class and present–, made infograph, and even a multigenre project. We also can’t forget the books weâ€℠¢ve read in class