Symbols and Imagery
Mr. Wolfsheim's Cufflinks
“I see you’re looking at my cuff buttons. I hadn’t been looking at them, but I did now. They were composed of oddly familiar pieces of ivory. Finest specimens of human molars” (Fitzgerald, 72).
The cufflinks demonstrate Mr. Wolfsheim’s shallowness and pride in wearing human molars, which were most likely obtained through torture and cruelty and his ties to the corrupt underworld. This shows that his view of the world is clouded and he sees things differently from others; things that would be seen as inhumane to him are of a normal nature.
Gatsby’s car:
“He saw me looking with admiration at his car. It’s pretty isn’t it old sport! He jumped off to give me a better view. Haven’t you ever seen it before? I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream colour” (Fitzgerald, 64).
White is seen as being pure, and because cream is off-white, Gatsby’s car, which is a cream colour, symbolizes that he is on the edge of purity and being corrupt. It is also a
luxurious car and symbolizes his luxurious life.
Gatsby's Faded Timetable
“Once I wrote down on the empty spaces of a timetable the names of those who came to Gatsby’s house that summer. It is an old time-table now, disintegrating at its folds, and headed “The schedule in effect July 5, 2922.” But i can still read the gray names, and they will give you a better impression than my generalities of those who accepted Gatsby’s hospitality and paid him the subtle tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him.” (Fitzgerald, 61).
The faded writing symbolizes that these socialites had no real impact in Gatsby’s life but they were merely people who left his life as quickly as they came in because they didn’t actually know him, just as they didn’t know him.
Imagery - The Young Gatsby
"It was a photograph of half a dozen young men in blazers loafing in an archway through which were visible a host of spires. there was Gatsby, looking a little, not much, younger - with a cricket bat in his hand" (Fitzgerald, 67).
This depicts an image of the young Gatsby, where he was happy and carefree.
Imagery - The Life of a King
"After that I lived like a young rajah in all the capitals of Europe - Pairs, Venice, Rome - collecting jewels, chiefly rubies, hunting bug game, painting a little, things for myself only, and trying to forget something very sad that had happened to me long ago" (Fitzgerald 65-66).
Creates an image of a vulnerable Gatsby, trying to escape the sadness in his life and this incident has shaped him into what he is today, a young rajah living a large life, but masking his true emotions and trying to fill the empty void in his life.
“He saw me looking with admiration at his car. It’s pretty isn’t it old sport! He jumped off to give me a better view. Haven’t you ever seen it before? I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream colour” (Fitzgerald, 64).
White is seen as being pure, and because cream is off-white, Gatsby’s car, which is a cream colour, symbolizes that he is on the edge of purity and being corrupt. It is also a
luxurious car and symbolizes his luxurious life.
Gatsby's Faded Timetable
“Once I wrote down on the empty spaces of a timetable the names of those who came to Gatsby’s house that summer. It is an old time-table now, disintegrating at its folds, and headed “The schedule in effect July 5, 2922.” But i can still read the gray names, and they will give you a better impression than my generalities of those who accepted Gatsby’s hospitality and paid him the subtle tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him.” (Fitzgerald, 61).
The faded writing symbolizes that these socialites had no real impact in Gatsby’s life but they were merely people who left his life as quickly as they came in because they didn’t actually know him, just as they didn’t know him.
Imagery - The Young Gatsby
"It was a photograph of half a dozen young men in blazers loafing in an archway through which were visible a host of spires. there was Gatsby, looking a little, not much, younger - with a cricket bat in his hand" (Fitzgerald, 67).
This depicts an image of the young Gatsby, where he was happy and carefree.
Imagery - The Life of a King
"After that I lived like a young rajah in all the capitals of Europe - Pairs, Venice, Rome - collecting jewels, chiefly rubies, hunting bug game, painting a little, things for myself only, and trying to forget something very sad that had happened to me long ago" (Fitzgerald 65-66).
Creates an image of a vulnerable Gatsby, trying to escape the sadness in his life and this incident has shaped him into what he is today, a young rajah living a large life, but masking his true emotions and trying to fill the empty void in his life.