1. The Story of Gatsby and Daisy’s Past
Gatsby’s denial to move on and forget Daisy has to do with his desire to re-create his past with her. This conversation symbolizes a desperate attempt to keep Gatsby’s dream alive. Although Nick understands that Daisy has chosen to stay with Tom, Gatsby cannot accept that his dream is dead. For example, Gatsby continues to insist that she will call him, the telephone line “ (Fitzgerald, 155) was being kept open” and told “the butler that if anyone phoned[,] word was to be brought to [Gatsby] at the pool” incase she called (Fitzgerald, 161).
2. Weather and Seasons
In the previous chapter, Gatsby’s confrontation with Tom took place on the hottest day of the summer and showed both frustration and destruction. On the other hand, the cooler weather in chapter 8 illustrates calming things down. Now that the fire has gone out of Gatsby’s life with Daisy’s decision to remain with Tom, the weather suddenly cools, and autumn creeps into the air and the “leaves [will] start falling pretty soon”. (Fitzgerald, 153) In the same way that he is attached to the hope of making Daisy love him the way she used to, he insists on swimming in the pool as though it were still summer, trying to hold on to memories of the past and reliving those days.
Furthermore, Wilson kills Gatsby on the first day of autumn “among the yellowing trees” (Fitzgerald, 161), at the time where Gatsby was floating in his pool despite a chill in the air. This is a symbolic attempt to stop time and restore his relationship with Daisy, but in the end his hopes and dreams get put to rest by a gunshot from the barrel of Wilson.
3. Color Symbolism
Struck with insomnia, Nick rushes to Gatsby’s house with the urge to tell him something important. When he arrives, Gatsby immediately tells Nick how he was waiting outside of the Buchanan’s house earlier. He says that “she came to the window and stood there for a minute[,] and then turned out the light.” (Fitzgerald, 147). At first Gatsby sees Daisy in the light through the window which represents Gatsby’s dream. But when she turns off the lights, the darkness represents the realities of Gatsby’s dream and his failure to succeed in achieving his American Dream and happiness.
4. Dog Leash
Wilson discovers “a small, expensive dog-leash, made of leather and braided silver.” (Fitzgerald, 158). The Wilson’s did not own a dog and this finding led George to conclude that Myrtle is having an affair with another man. The Wilson’s were of a lower class and they could not afford a silver embedded collar, whereas Tom could afford to buy those gifts for Myrtle. Furthermore, on the outside, a dog may seem give off an appealing, cute and kind appearance, but in this case, it has a deeper meaning behind it. The dog and collar shows the relationship between Tom and Myrtle. On the inside, the dog carries the sins of the world and it show how nothing good can come from negative actions, like Myrtle’s death.
5. Church
When Wilson tells Michaelis of his troubled life and the passing of Myrtle, Michaelis suggests George to “get a priest [to] to talk to [him]” and that “[he] ought to have a church … for times like this.” (Fitzgerald, 157) The church and priest resemble a substitute American Dream. Since George lost Myrtle, his main source of happiness in the world has vanished. Church would provide Wilson with a new hope and dream and something to believe in. However, one’s dream can’t be replaces as simple as that, everyone reaches for something in this world, and when they find something that they care about then that’s all they’ve got. Take that away from them, they’re left with nothing, nothing to live for anymore. This concept can be taken into the foreshadowing of Gatsby's death in that his dream has come to an end and we as the audience realize he has nothing to live for anymore.
6. Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes
From Wilson’s sorrowed eyes, Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes are the eyes of God, which he says “[know] everything,” meaning Myrtle could’t hide her sin from the eyes of God (Fitzgerald, 159). Wilson tells Michaelis that before Myrtle died, he confronted her about her affair and told her that “God knows what [she’s] been doing” and that she could “fool [him] but [she couldn’t] fool God.” (Fitzgerald, 159) Wilson takes Dr. T.J Eckleburg’s eyes for the all-seeing eyes and derives his misguided belief that Myrtle’s killer must have been her lover. He deices that the eyes represent a moral standard and that God demands revenge for the sin Myrtle has convicted and leaves to track down the owner of the car.
Gatsby’s denial to move on and forget Daisy has to do with his desire to re-create his past with her. This conversation symbolizes a desperate attempt to keep Gatsby’s dream alive. Although Nick understands that Daisy has chosen to stay with Tom, Gatsby cannot accept that his dream is dead. For example, Gatsby continues to insist that she will call him, the telephone line “ (Fitzgerald, 155) was being kept open” and told “the butler that if anyone phoned[,] word was to be brought to [Gatsby] at the pool” incase she called (Fitzgerald, 161).
2. Weather and Seasons
In the previous chapter, Gatsby’s confrontation with Tom took place on the hottest day of the summer and showed both frustration and destruction. On the other hand, the cooler weather in chapter 8 illustrates calming things down. Now that the fire has gone out of Gatsby’s life with Daisy’s decision to remain with Tom, the weather suddenly cools, and autumn creeps into the air and the “leaves [will] start falling pretty soon”. (Fitzgerald, 153) In the same way that he is attached to the hope of making Daisy love him the way she used to, he insists on swimming in the pool as though it were still summer, trying to hold on to memories of the past and reliving those days.
Furthermore, Wilson kills Gatsby on the first day of autumn “among the yellowing trees” (Fitzgerald, 161), at the time where Gatsby was floating in his pool despite a chill in the air. This is a symbolic attempt to stop time and restore his relationship with Daisy, but in the end his hopes and dreams get put to rest by a gunshot from the barrel of Wilson.
3. Color Symbolism
Struck with insomnia, Nick rushes to Gatsby’s house with the urge to tell him something important. When he arrives, Gatsby immediately tells Nick how he was waiting outside of the Buchanan’s house earlier. He says that “she came to the window and stood there for a minute[,] and then turned out the light.” (Fitzgerald, 147). At first Gatsby sees Daisy in the light through the window which represents Gatsby’s dream. But when she turns off the lights, the darkness represents the realities of Gatsby’s dream and his failure to succeed in achieving his American Dream and happiness.
4. Dog Leash
Wilson discovers “a small, expensive dog-leash, made of leather and braided silver.” (Fitzgerald, 158). The Wilson’s did not own a dog and this finding led George to conclude that Myrtle is having an affair with another man. The Wilson’s were of a lower class and they could not afford a silver embedded collar, whereas Tom could afford to buy those gifts for Myrtle. Furthermore, on the outside, a dog may seem give off an appealing, cute and kind appearance, but in this case, it has a deeper meaning behind it. The dog and collar shows the relationship between Tom and Myrtle. On the inside, the dog carries the sins of the world and it show how nothing good can come from negative actions, like Myrtle’s death.
5. Church
When Wilson tells Michaelis of his troubled life and the passing of Myrtle, Michaelis suggests George to “get a priest [to] to talk to [him]” and that “[he] ought to have a church … for times like this.” (Fitzgerald, 157) The church and priest resemble a substitute American Dream. Since George lost Myrtle, his main source of happiness in the world has vanished. Church would provide Wilson with a new hope and dream and something to believe in. However, one’s dream can’t be replaces as simple as that, everyone reaches for something in this world, and when they find something that they care about then that’s all they’ve got. Take that away from them, they’re left with nothing, nothing to live for anymore. This concept can be taken into the foreshadowing of Gatsby's death in that his dream has come to an end and we as the audience realize he has nothing to live for anymore.
6. Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes
From Wilson’s sorrowed eyes, Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes are the eyes of God, which he says “[know] everything,” meaning Myrtle could’t hide her sin from the eyes of God (Fitzgerald, 159). Wilson tells Michaelis that before Myrtle died, he confronted her about her affair and told her that “God knows what [she’s] been doing” and that she could “fool [him] but [she couldn’t] fool God.” (Fitzgerald, 159) Wilson takes Dr. T.J Eckleburg’s eyes for the all-seeing eyes and derives his misguided belief that Myrtle’s killer must have been her lover. He deices that the eyes represent a moral standard and that God demands revenge for the sin Myrtle has convicted and leaves to track down the owner of the car.