In the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald he uses technique to enhance the story and make it more interesting. The technique which he uses are colors and patterns. The idea of colors are for the reader to imagine what the color can represent. The major colors which he uses in the story in the story are yellow and gold. These colors are very similar to each other and are portrayed universally as riche, high class, elegance, and beauty. On the other hand this color is also used in the novel as tragedy and corruption.
The first characteristic of these colors is riches. The idea of richness is a motif in the story. The first case where the colors are related to richness in the story is when it states " I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment securities, and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew."(8) In this quote it describes Nick’s books on his book shelf. These books are described as brand new crisp money. They also are about money this is the beginning on how everyone wants to get rich fast. The idea about money also had a negative affect in the book. The story later goes on how all the men with money were cheaters and liars. They may have got the girls, but in the end it would end up in tragedy. Although there was tragedy Fitzgerald used these colors for other meanings.
The next meaning of the colors which was expressed in the book was high class. These colors was used to describe most of the characteristic of East and West Egg. The first case which high class is shown in is where it says "On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold."(44 ) This is talking about a place of high class. The table with food also shows of high class since it has fancy foods. Here there was also a bar, which served alcohol. These colors also appear a lot with this meaning, in resemblance with Gatsby’s parties. Like in the case where it says "The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher."(44) This quote describes one of Gatsby’s parties. All of Gatsby’s parties consisted of the higher class of people. There he would make very fancy parties. The color yellow is described as cocktail music, which was very fancy. These parties were all very high class. On the other hand these parties also had a down side. In Gatsby’s parties and the place with the buffet they served alcohol, which led to fighting and accidents. Besides the parties these colors also described the girls.