Abstract：Francis Scott Fitzgerald, a widely recognized great writer in the twentieth century, is regarded as a member of the "Lost Generation" of that age. The Great Gatsby is extensively accepted as a classic of American literature. It is not only a great story, but an insight into the flaws of real life during the "Roaring Twenties".

   This paper analyzes the novel in the perspective of symbolism. It consists of five parts. Chapter one introduces the writer along with the age he lived and rough symbolic application occurred in this novel. Chapter two analyzes the symbols and the functions of symbolism in literature. Chapter three focuses on the "colors", colors symbolize many different intangible ideas in the novel. The following chapter discusses the settings, with which Fitzgerald made great achievements in his career as a novel-writer. Based on above chapters, Chapter five makes a conclusion for this paper.

   The Great Gatsby is worth studying for its successful and artful application of symbolism as well as excellent narrative technique. By using the symbolism, the author vividly depicted his thoughts and view towards the age his lived. Therefore this paper will emphasize on clarifying the implicit meaning of these symbols to readers, so that readers can get the deeper comprehension of The Great Gatsby.

Key words: symbolism, color, setting

摘要：弗朗西斯·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德是二十世纪公认的伟大作家，他被认为是那个时代“迷惘的一代”的一员。被人们广泛接受为是美国文学经典作品的《了不起的盖茨比》，它不仅是一个伟大的故事,也是对“爵士乐时代”现实生活缺陷的一种洞察。

    本文从象征主义的角度来来分析这部作品: 包括五个部分。论文第一章介绍了菲茨杰拉德和他生活的时代，以及象征主义手法在这部作品中的运用。第二章阐述了何是象征，以及象征在文学作品中的作用。第三章讨论五种颜色在小说中所代表的不同象征意义。第四章重点分析背景的象征意义和作用。在前几章基础上，第五章做出总结。

    《了不起的盖茨比》是一部值得研习的作品，不仅因为它运用了巧妙的叙事技巧，而且因为它成功地运用了象征主义艺术手法。通过象征主义，作者形象地描述了自己对他所处时代的看法和思想。因此本论文将着重向读者阐述象征的隐含意义，以便读者对《了不起的盖茨比》这部作品有更为深刻的理解。

关键词：象征主义，色彩，背景