Senses and Color: Motifs in The Great Gatsby

A major motif that I noticed in The Great Gatsby was attention to the senses. There is a lot of focus on that in the writing. Eyes themselves are a motif, shown in various passages, including the repeated mention of the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. But as I continued reading the book, I noted frequent mentions of the other senses as well. Everything from sights to sounds to smells are used as descriptors. Differences in characters' voices seem to be particularly important. Here is one example of sensory motif from the book:

"With enchanting murmurs, Daisy admired this aspect or that of the feudal silhouette against the sky, admired the gardens, the sparkling odors of jonquils and the frothy odor of hawthorn and plum blossoms and the pale gold odor of kiss-me-at-the-gate. It was strange to reach the marble steps and find no stir of bright dresses in and out the door and hear no sound but bird voices in the trees."

To add to the sensory experience, a motif in itself is color. Fitzgerald never fails to mention some sort of color in his descriptions as well. I noticed that gold and silver are mentioned a lot, such as gold items in Gatsby's house or the scenery of "pink and golden billow of foamy cloads above the sea." These particular colors may be emphasized to show riches, as a central theme of the book is rich people and their life as seen by a semi-outsider. And of course we know the significance of the green light for Gatsby. The color and sensory motif of the book definitely lends itself to the main story. As we get to know the characters, these motifs help to enrich our experience and interpretation of it.