The Use of Symbolism to describe Moral Decay in The Great Gatsby

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The Use of Symbolism to describe Moral Decay in The Great Gatsby  

By Marco Vitali

According to Merriam-Webster, symbolism is “the art or practice of using symbols by investing things with a symbolic meaning.” Using symbolism you can express feelings, sensations and meanings without necessarily putting them in words, leaving the interpretation of these to the reader. In his classic novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism to avoid getting negative attention from the people of the upper class since his novel is very controversial, in the sense that he uses symbols such as colors and locations to condemn aspects of the American society including the recklessness and corruption of the upper class.

Gatsby’s gold tie and silver shirt symbolize his wealth and upper class belonging. He wears these to prove to Daisy that he is now wealthy and she can marry him as she had not done years before because he was too poor. “While it isn't clear how he made all his money it is obvious that it was through illegal dealings in organized crime.” F. Scott Fitzgerald often refers to the World Series of 1919 which was forged by Meyer Wolfsheim, Gatsby's connection to organized crime. The World Series is an example of how Gatsby got rich, through corruption (Gevaert). These “illegal dealings in organized crime” are symbolized by alcohol. Alcohol is referred to by F. Scott Fitzgerald in most of Gatsby parties; it represents the boredom, the irresponsibility and the recklessness of the upper class. Even though alcohol was illegal, people did not seem to care about breaking the law since they felt superior because of their wealth. Many people only attended Gatsby’s parties because of the alcohol he offered, they were not really his friends, they were just an illusion and they did not actually care about him as  symbolized by the fact that they did not  attend  his funeral. If F. Scott Fitzgerald had been more direct regarding his criticisms about the corruptness of the upper class his book would have been banned more than it already was.

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Gatsby’s car, a yellow Rolls Royce, is another symbol of his wealth. Daisy was driving this car when she ran over Myrtle which represents the carelessness of the upper class. This metaphorically means that Gatsby’s wealth and high social status is what “brings him down” and leads to his death, as it is the car, a symbol of his wealth, which causes the accident that killed Myrtle thus leading George Wilson to kill him. This is just an example that represents the idea that wealth and high social status makes people behaviour deteriorate and lead to their physical and ...

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