I Need Help PROOF READING my Great Gatsby Essay
***I need help proof reading my Essay. I need help with comma splicing; I am no good at it. I have underlined some parts where I think I need correcting. Please proof read it, it would help me out a lot.
Fitzgerald applies colour to create mood and depth for the characters in The Great Gatsby. For the reader, however, colour is an important tool to understand a character trait. For example, Fitzgerald uses the phrase, "golden arm" to show the value of Jordan Baker's golf skills. For the main character Gatsby, however, the colours green, silver, and pink give the reader major insight on his personality traits; Fitzgerald uses these three colours to show Gatsby's ambition, materialism, and love, which are all interconnected with Daisy Buchanan.
A young man named Nick Carraway narrates The Great Gatsby. Nick has come to New York in the Summer of 1922 to enter the bond business; he lives in a small cottage located at West Egg, which is the less fashionable side to live. Upon his arrival, Nick is quickly greeted by his cousin Daisy Buchanan, and her arrogant husband Tom. The Buchanans live on East Egg, which is the place where people of high status reside. Beside Nick's cottage, on West Egg, lives a wealthy man named Gatsby. Even though Gatsby is wealthy, he lives on West Egg because he lacks the status to reside on East Egg. In fact, this story revolves around Gatsby's quest for acquiring high status; this can be only done by Gatsby obtaining Daisy's love.
Gatsby's willingness to keep on going forward, and his ambition for obtaining Daisy is characterized by the colour green. Also, the colour green acts as a safe haven for Gatsby; green tells Gatsby that it is safe for him to reach out and obtain his goals. Whilst thinking of obtaining Daisy, Gatsby had also been thinking of the colour green, "he stretched out his arms toward the dark water... I glanced seaward and distinguished nothing except for a single green light."() Gatsby is shown reaching for his ambition, towards the green light. As the story advances, the reader finds out that it was indeed Daisy whom Gatsby was reaching for. In fact, Gatsby lived by the green light day in and out; it was a way of life for Gatsby, he was driven by ambition. Nick emphasized, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us... tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther."() The green light was a type of hope for Gatsby. It was symbolized by Gatsby to keep on going forward, and reach for his ambition. This shows how the colour green is used to show Gatsby's ambition, but the colour silver is also used to show his materialistic side.
Just like almost any other ambitious person, Gatsby has a huge materialistic side. Materialism is important to Gatsby; he sees it as the only way to obtain Daisy. Because of the difference in status between East and West Egg, Gatsby feels he needs to have materialistic worth to fit in East Egg. Gatsby even subconsciously shows off his materialistic worth to Daisy, "Gatsby in a white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold colored tie hurried in."() Silver is characterized by wealth and materialism, and Gatsby wants Daisy to know that he has it. This yet again shows Gatsby's yearning to fit in the society of East Egg. Gatsby even relates Daisy as of some sort of a wealth goddess. Emphasized by the observations of Nick, "Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols."() Daisy is shown in this passage as of someone of great importance and wealth; this is exactly how Gatsby perceives Daisy to be. If Gatsby obtains his, "wealth goddess", he also obtains the high status he aims for. However, even though Gatsby loves Daisy for her wealth and status, the colour pink can define his love for her.
Whether it is through the environment, or by what Gatsby wears, the colour pink is used to show Gatsby's love for Daisy. Whilst first meeting Daisy, Gatsby has a hard time showing his love. Gatsby is nervous at first, and not passionate, but the environment changes as he begins to open up. Fitzgerald quickly changes the mood, "The rain was falling, but the darkness parted in the west, and there was a pink and golden billow of foamy clouds above the sea."(94) With the pink clouds emerging, the mood of love quickly circulates between Gatsby and Daisy. The tension that was between them is quickly gone; therefore, this shows how the colour pink defines Gatsby's love. Also, Gatsby's personality is reflected by the clothes he wears. Even after Myrtle was killed, Gatsby's love for Daisy always remained true. Still shocked about Myrtle's death, Nick still managed to discern Gatsby's suit, "His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color."(102) Because Gatsby is such a gentleman, it shows the true nature of his love. Even though it was Daisy who killed Myrtle, it was Gatsby who took the blame. Not only did Gatsby take the blame like a true gentleman, but also he did it out of his love for Daisy. This explains why Gatsby's suit was making such a, "bright spot"; Gatsby's love was shining because he was the one who protected Daisy.
It has been shown to the reader that the colours green, silver, and pink symbolize Gatsby's personality traits; these personalities are ambition, materialism, and love, which are all interconnected with Daisy Buchanan. The colour green, for example, is used to show Gatsby's ambition to obtain Daisy. The colour green allowed Gatsby to drive forward, and accomplish his goal. The colour silver was used to show Gatsby's materialistic side for obtaining Daisy. Silver was used to show Daisy as a, "silver idol". By obtaining Daisy, Gatsby would have gotten a place at East Egg. Also, the colour pink was used to show Gatsby's love for Daisy. Gatsby wore a pink suit whilst meeting Daisy to show his emotions for her. It is made certain that these three colours show Gatsby's personality, and his dream of obtaining Daisy.
