Flower Symbolism In The Great Gatsby (2024)

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Flowers are living organisms, as diverse as humans, ranging from beautiful and delicate to strong and sturdy. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the symbolism of flowers develop the characters and show the effect money had on their lives and social status in The Great Gatsby. Daisy and Myrtle are two characters with these symbolic floral names, one with a life of money, and one without. Daisy flower petals represent an external appearance of purity and innocence, in contrast to the yellow center that shows how corrupt Daisy was by her materialism and desire for wealth. Myrtle, the other flower, is stark in comparison to the delicate beauty and ephemerality of the daisy. Myrtles are hearty and solid, able to withstand environmental stress. Myrtle does not live in large mansion, but in the dismal Valley of Ashes, above her husband’s financially struggling garage. Although these two flowers may seem different, there is a very important similarity. Both the daisy and the myrtle have green leaves. The color green symbolizes life and money. The color of money was the color of life in the 1920s. People lived with money and lived in excess, shown by the extravagant parties thrown by Gatsby…show more content…
Gatsby spent their years apart motivated to win over Daisy by gaining wealth. In his eyes, gaining wealth became equivalent to getting Daisy. He stated, “her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald, 2004, p.120). His life revolved around money and Daisy, who had symbolically chosen Tom’s pearls and wealth over Gatsby’s letter of love. He threw parties in order to attract her with his wealth. If Gatsby was a plant, he would be a Magnolia tree because he has a lots of green leaves, or money. The support provided by green leaves is something a plant needs before flowers can grow and bloom. Gatsby’s “bloom” or “flower” was Daisy. However, she would not marry Gatsby until he had enough leaves, or a stable income and

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Flower Symbolism In The Great Gatsby (2024)

FAQs

What flowers are mentioned in The Great Gatsby? ›

In the movie, these flowers are white orchids, a nod to Nick's description of his cousin: For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes.

What does a rose symbolize in The Great Gatsby? ›

The rose represents love, therefore he saw how grotesque love really is. Love brought him death, what could be more grotesque? While a rose is representative of Nick's character, the daisy represents a character no other than Daisy herself. The colors of the daisy are white and yellow.

What is the quote about flowers in The Great Gatsby? ›

At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”

What is the meaning of the Carraway flower? ›

Carraway is a flower that symbolizes maturity and rationality.

What was Mr Wilson's flower? ›

The flower that Mr. Wilson's fictional flora is based on is blooming in Denver, and thousands of people have flooded the Denver Botanic Gardens to catch a glimpse and a whiff. The titan arum, or corpse flower, blooms only a few times in its life, and each time it smells disgusting.

What does lavender symbolize in The Great Gatsby? ›

Lavender represents things which were done that were not necessary, things that the rich characteristically do. To tie itself with lavender, yellow illustrates the greed and wealth of the characters. Yellow is one of the main symbolic colors in The Great Gatsby. It represents the wealth and extravagance of the rich.

What symbolizes Daisy in The Great Gatsby? ›

Daisy Buchannan is made to represent the lack of virtue and morality that was present during the 1920s. She is the absolute center of Gatsby's world right up to his death, but she is shown to be uncaring and fickle throughout the novel.

What does Myrtle symbolize in The Great Gatsby? ›

Myrtle Wilson, though she makes but few appearances in The Great Gatsby, is one of the most important characters to the storyline, and the symbolism in the novel rests on her shoulders. Myrtle's character highlights the pressure put on individuals by a society that values materialism and social standing.

What are 3 symbols in The Great Gatsby? ›

Fitzgerald uses symbols to suggest the life of Gatsby. He uses the green light to represent the hopes and dreams of Gatsby, Dr T.J Eckleburg's eyes to represent the eyes of God, the Valley of Ashes to show the effects of capitalism and the symbol of time is also repeated throughout the novel.

Which flowers are mentioned in this poem? ›

Explanation: Primrose and Periwinkle are two flowers mentioned in the poem . poet thought that every flower enjoys the air it breathes .

What are the flowers in Jane the virgin? ›

Jane's unspoken symbol is the white flower Alba gives her at age nine. Meant to represent her own “flower,” Alba implies that to crush it makes Jane impure in God's eyes.

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