“[…] and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness”(21).
The green light at the end of the dock in The Great Gatsby is one of the most famous symbols in literature today. This gleam is a symbol for Gatsby’s hopes and dreams which relates closely to the American dream. Gatsby’s goal is to be with Daisy, the Daisy to many immigrants or others in America was the promise of riches, land, and love that the United States had to offer. The green color also offers up an interpretation of it meaning money and wealth, but included in that is dreams. In an attempt to capture Daisy’s heart, Gatsby has acquired a vast wealth to impress the girl he met all of those years ago. In our own lives, we each have our own green light, hopes that culminate into parts of the American dream, but are too far for us to reach.