Thesis: F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color yellow to help the reader understand Gatsby's personality.

Throughout the novel, the most
common color accompanying with Gatsby is yellow. With this color, the author skillfully implies what kind of outer self that Gatsby intends to show.

In chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, there are three examples of yellow in connection to Jay Gatsby.

"The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a higher key." (Fitzgerald 45).

One meaning of yellow is cheerful feelings. Referring to the yellow cocktail music, the author is implying that the music symbolizes wealth and lavish parties Gatsby always threw to get Daisy's attention.

The author writes "A tray of cocktails floated at us through the twilight and we sat down at a table with the to girls in yellow...introduced us as Mr. Mumble." (Fitzgerald 47).

another meaning for yellow is it draws in attention and helps highlight most important elements. The girls wearing yellow dresses shows old money and beauty.

In regards to myrtles death, "He reached up on tiptoes and peered over...which was lit only by a yellow light in a swinging wired basket overhead." (Fitzgerald 145).

Although, the yellow color is the color of autumn leaves. This symbolizes decay and death. This color shows when Tom sees Myrtles yellow light flashing after the accident.

Through the examples of yellow in the novel The Great Gatsby, the reader can see that Jay Gatsby naively thinks that Daisy has never loved anyone else any more except him, he engages himself in earning enormous wealth to win his losing love back. He lives in a world of wealth all to show Daisy.

Work Cited

• "Coloring Meaning." Color Wheel Pro, Color Wheel Pro, 2015, www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html.
• Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster Inc., 1995.