The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, there is a great deal of symbolism throughout the novel. Fitzgerald uses many elements of scenery and actions to symbolize different aspects of life. For example He uses the green light on the end of Daisy’s dock as a symbol of hope for Gatsby. Fitzgerald also illustrates what the American dream has become through Gatsby’s life and engagements. Finally, Fitzgerald uses the “Valley of Ashes” …

…is Gatsby’s hope for a life with meaning rather that the shallow one he is leading now. “...Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. 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.” "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired." (pg.81)