IRONY
In The Great Gatsby, irony is used consistently throughout the book in order to illustrate the unattainability of the American Dream in the 1920s. Fitzgerald uses irony to show that wealth is subjective and that true wealth lies in spirit and personality rather than the amount of material wealth acquired throughout a lifetime. All of the main characters in The Great Gatsby have acquired some form of wealth in their life - whether it be the new money made by Gatsby or the old money inherited by Daisy and Tom. However, once they’ve gained that wealth, they still aim for more. During the time of publication of the novel, Americans assumed that true happiness came from success and wealth. However, despite being one of the wealthiest men in the novel, Gatsby is also one of the most unhappy due to his passion for Daisy, who does not requite his love due to his status as new money. His unhappiness with this reality is displayed through the quote, “He couldn’t possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn’t bear to shake him free” (Fitzgerald 148). The characters in The Great Gatsby constantly act in ironic ways; making a statement, but then behaving in the opposite way. One of the characters that expresses irony most prominently is Jordan. She tells Nick, “I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward person. I thought it was your secret pride” (Fitzgerald 177). The irony is revealed in the text when it is exposed that she wins her golf tournaments through cheating. The Great Gatsby uses irony to show that wealth is not a true measure of happiness and that the American Dream is an unfulfillable fantasy.
WHITE
Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the colour white in order to portray the innocent and pure facade that Nick has around his judgement of characters and morals that he encounters within the story. From the first time the characters of Daisy and Jordan are introduced, Nick observes that, “[Daisy and Jordan] were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house” (Fitzgerald 8). This depiction of Daisy and Jordan is furthered as the book progresses, displaying not only innocence, but ignorance as well; as shown through Daisy’s lack of acknowledgement of Tom’s affairs. In the following chapters it is evident that Nick still wishes to see the girls in this light of purity, even though it becomes more apparent that they are not as innocent as they at first appeared. Indirectly, the location of the story is used to portray innocence. Physical eggs can be white and although East Egg and West Egg do not live up to the physical description of an egg, it can be said that the Eggs themselves are hidden motifs that Fitzgerald included in this piece. He attempted to show that the lives of the characters living in the Eggs are cocooned in a veil of innocence, though deceit lies beneath the surface. Despite the purity of the colour, it is also the easiest to taint; as shown at the end of the novel when Nick decides that the integrity of the East Coast is too corrupt for his standards, leading him back to the Midwest. White is used in The Great Gatsby to show how optimistic judgement and the approach in believing that all people are inherently innocent and pure can easily morph one’s thoughts and experiences.