GREEN LIGHT
‘he stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way…involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock.’ in the novel, there is a green light located at the end of Daisy and Toms dock that you can see from Gatsby’s mansion. The green light represents illusion and Gatsby dream on Daisy. Before they meet the green light is “minute and far away,” but as the novel continues the light gets bigger, like Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship but then when Gatsby thinks he finally got his dream the light becomes blurred and faded like Daisy’s feelings for Gatsby. For me, this helps me understand illusion because Gatsby has created a completely new life for himself in the hope to get Daisy back in his life and their relationship will be just as it was 5 years ago. The green light represents Gatsby’s hope his hope is an illusion as if fades he begins to realise that his dream probably won’t come true. so he was illuded by his obsession with Daisy.
DR T.J ECHLEBURG BILLBOARD
Dr T.J Eckleburg is an optometrist who painted eyes looking through a pair of yellow rimmed glasses in the Valley of Ashes. The billboard has been there for so long that people refer to it as God as its always watching over them ‘Over the ash heaps the giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg kept their vigil.’ they say that T.J Eckleburg sees everything so whenever something bad happens in the novel it’s always where the eyes can see.
WHITE
White is used throughout the novel and its a symbol of innocence and it’s mostly daisy that white is referred to. Before Daisy’s marriage her car she drives is white and now her clothes, belongings and even her home is white, her name is even a white flower which is another symbol. Daisy is portraying an image of flawlessness and beauty. But once you get to know Daisy she is far from that it’s just her outer image on the inside she is selfish, shallow and materialistic. This helps me understand illusion because Gatsby believes Daisy to be perfect but then he shows her true side but still “He is seeing the world without the filter of Daisy”
1 Comment
Add Yours →There is not enough analysis in here Albie- think about what each of the symbols represent and then link this back to illusion.
For example, consider what we have discussed about the green light. It doesn’t represent illusion itself but Gatsby’s hopes and dreams that centre around Daisy. Your analysis would be stringer if you went on to explain how these hopes and dreams are revealed to be an illusion.