Laura rejects Jim’s assertion, saying that “blue is all wrong for roses”, yet the description is fitting for her, not only due to her physical crippling defect but also her unique personality. The name is highly symbolic of Laura’s character. The nickname “Blue Roses” is given to Laura by Jim O’Conner, her first ever ‘gentleman caller’ when they are in high school together. Although only mentioned briefly, the notion of “Blue Roses” is a significant key to the main character of The Glass Menagerie, Laura Wingfield, an insecure, sensitive and graceful young woman of twenty-four years. As Tom Wingfield, the play’s narrator, describes America at the time, ” here there was only hot swing music, and liquor, dance halls, bars and movies, and sex that hung in the gloom like a chandelier and flooded the world with brief deceptive rainbows.”Ĭolour symbolism arises in the concept of “Blue Roses” in “The Glass Menagerie”. Written in 1945, the play itself is set in the mid 30’s, where America is discovering itself, recovering from recession and nervously awaiting war. Like Fitzgerald, Williams also uses colour as a symbol to portray key ideas in his text “The Glass Menagerie”. In fact, Gatsby rates his belongings “according to the measure of response it drew from her well loved eyes”. Gatsby’s material possessions mean nothing to him personally, but are symbolic of the man he has become, a man worthy of the attentions of Daisy. Fitzgerald uses silver and gold to symbolise wealth and excessive consumption sporadically throughout the text, yet the reader gets the impression that ‘all the glitters is not gold’. “…the front door opened nervously and Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold coloured tie hurried in”. In his quest to win Daisy’s heart Gatsby chooses to wear his best outfit. This was the fatal car that kills Myrtle Wilson, a woman lacking in self-respect who craves attention and wealth, whose death indirectly leads to Gatsby’s own demise.Īppearance is another important factor of Gatsby’s dream. The use of the symbolic automobile can be seen as a demonstration of how an ideal based on materialism alone can be destructive. The car is yellow, a colour Fitzgerald uses repeatedly throughout to represent corruption and extravagant wealth. Therefore it is suited for Gatsby to own one of the most majestic cars ever created. The main theory behind the dreams is the belief that material wealth alone can bring that dream to fruition, and to this concept, Gatsby was “faithful to the end”.įor American’s the car symbolises wealth and social status. The American dream offers faith in the possibility of a better life. Primarily, “The Great Gatsby” deals with the corruption of the great American Dream, personified by Jay Gatsby, a dreamer intent on procuring the attentions of his long-time love Daisy Buchanan at any cost. The text also explores corruption, idealism, faith and the illusions of dreams through the use of a variety of images and symbols. On the surface, the text appears to be about love, wealth and power, yet this first impression does not do justice to the text’s many complexities and hidden depths. It was written in America during the mid-1920s, a time of moral decadence and feelings of complacency following the conclusion of the Great War. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is a text that is reflective of the Period in which it was written, the ‘roaring’ twenties.
Various symbols appear throughout the respective texts that allow the reader to gain insight into character’s personalities and also add value to major themes and ideas in the texts.į. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism heavily in his text “The Great Gatsby”, as does Tennessee Williams in “The Glass Menagerie”. Symbolism is an invaluable literary tool that may be employed by authors or playwrights to aid in the development of characters or to display themes in novels and plays.
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