The Great Gatsby Color Analysis: White
Characterization
“They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house” (Fitzgerald 8).
This quote refers to Nick Carraway’s first meeting with Daisy Buchannan and Jordan Baker. Of course, both are clothed in white as they are throughout the novel, to establish that their financial status is in order and in a state of efficiency (“The”). This indicates how they desperately cling on to their wealth as it would be impossible for them to live without it. It is evident that Daisy’s social status and wealth is far more important to her than the “love” she has for Gatsby as she deliberately allows him to take all the blame for Myrtle’s death and breaks all connections with him by suddenly moving away with Tom.
“The Airedale, undoubtedly there was an Airedale concerned in it somewhere, though its feet were startlingly white, changed hands and settled down into Mrs. Wilson’s lap, where she fondled the weatherproof coat with rapture” (Fitzgerald 28).
Tom’s gift of an Airedale to Myrtle reveals to the audience of his deep hunger for power and Myrtle’s extreme insecurities. The white feet of the dog exemplifies the elegance of Tom’s luxuriant lifestyle in which Myrtle desperately yearns for (“The”). Consequently, he is literally giving her a taste of his own wealth as he takes her out and even gifts her with a dog and an expensive dog collar. Tom evidently feels some sort of profound power with having Myrtle in his possession. He doesn’t love Myrtle at all but rather is in love with the authority and sense of power of being able to sleep with her and then have the ability to go back home to his wife. He would never leave Daisy for Myrtle as the color white is only on the feet of the dog; an indication that he considers her as the dirt of his clean and posh lifestyle. Myrtle on the other hand, is found to be similar to Daisy as they both possess the characteristic of being fickle. As seen through her indecisiveness and rapid decision-making with choosing what type of dog she wanted, it reveals her insecurities as she is desperate to savor every moment of luxury that she can grasp.
“They were still under the white plum tree and their faces were touching except for a pale, thin ray of moonlight between” (Fitzgerald 107).
In eastern cultures, plums are representative of the “vitality of life” and “endurance through hardship” (Jiang). Thus, the color white that describes the plum tree represents the wholeness of their relationship (“The”). In combination, this imagery depicts the completion Gatsby temporarily feels as he finally fulfills his dream of reuniting with Daisy. This emphasizes his true identity as a dreamer and a hopeless romantic as he believed in the love he had for Daisy till the very end. He never lost hope even after realizing that she at one point did love Tom and had a conceived a child with him. His characterization was beautifully tragic as his optimism and undying faith of the dream eventually lead to his untimely death.
“One autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling, and they came to a place where no trees and the sidewalk was white with moonlight” (Fitzgerald 110).
The color white usually pertains to one’s childhood and youth and the characteristic of being fastidious (“The”). Daisy Buchannan for most of her life seems to have never really grown up as she is portrayed to still be unable to make up her own mind as seen through her drunken incident the day before her wedding and her inability to choose between Gatsby and Tom. She is always changing her mind like the moon changes its phases and thus will never be satisfied with a single decision (“Symbolism”). Like a child she will always want more than she needs and will do absolutely anything to get what she desires. Although her fickle nature is seemingly innocent, it is in reality a toxic characteristic not only for Daisy, but for everyone else that is affiliated with her as her choices ultimately involve the people around her. Gatsby for example is the affected the most as she takes advantage of his hope for the dream by leading him on through her indecisiveness.
“His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own” (Fitzgerald 110).
The color white epitomizes Daisy’s characterization as her name, material luxuries, descriptions, and in this case her skin refer to the color. This is symbolic of Gatsby’s high expectations towards Daisy. Similarly to the color white, he perceives Daisy to be a perfect being (“Color”). During the five long years that he had waited, Daisy was all he ever thought and dreamed about. The longer he waited, the higher he placed her on the pedestal, resulting in him creating expectations that were impossible for Daisy to fulfill. She is indeed far from perfection but that does not stop Gatsby from believing in his dream. It is only when he dies when the dream begins to crumble. The fact that the color white when mixed makes other colors brighter reveals her ability to capture many people’s hearts (Bear). It was her beauty and mask of having the purity of the heart, mind, and soul in which her name represents that led Gatsby to believe that he could repeat the past with Daisy (“Daisy”).
