Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

One of the most prominent symbols in the novel is the green light at the end of the dock. The light represents desire and a goal for Gatsby, consequently Nick says that one of Gatsby’s goals had been accomplished after meeting with Daisy, his former lover: “Possibly it had never occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever…Now it was again a green light on a dock.” (94) Although the meeting with Daisy reduced the significance of the green light, this symbol still remained prominent in his life. The light represents Gatsby’s desire to incorporate himself with the rich upper class and eventually m

Similar to the green light, the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg portray more than one theme but mostly represent the theme of seeing. George Wilson looks up at the eyes and claims that they are the eyes of God, “and I said ‘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 T.J. Eckleberg.” (160) Wilson spoke the truth, in that that the eyes do watch over many important events that unfold in the novel. For instance, they watched over the affair with Tom and Myrtle from beginning to end, as Myrtle died in the valley of ashes. Emphasising the theme of seeing, the eyes also witnessed in chapter 7 that Tom “saw” the true relationship between Daisy and Gatsby and George “saw” that Myrtle was having an affair. Although the billboard has no true significance in the real world, Fitzgerald brings out the sign as a prominent symbol.

Unlike the green light or the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg, the conflict between East and

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