Heat as a symbol in The Great GatsbySymbolism plays an important role in any novel of literary value. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays superior use of symbols such as color, light, and heat. Fitzgerald's superior use of heat as a symbol is the focus of this essay. “When F. Scott Fitzgerald turns on the heat in Gatsby, he amplifies a single detail into an element of function and emphasis that transforms neutral landscapes into oppressive prisms” (Dyson 116). Through these prisms, which distort and color the lives of Fitzgerald's characters, we see why human exaltations are, as Nick Carraway describes them, "running out of steam." Hotness is the antithesis of Jay Gatsby. It is symptomatic of his loss, of his sworn enemy. While he was always cool-headed, perhaps we should have guessed that his coldly methodical plan to restore the past would end, in the searing heat of confrontation, "as useless as one of the match heads." exhausted.” Daisy throws herself so carelessly after lighting a cigarette” (Dyson 121). From mid-afternoon at the Buchanan Palace until dusk at the Plaza Hotel, Fitzgerald's emphasis on the oppressive heat stands out as clearly as Gatsby's pink suit on Daisy's crimson carpet. It’s an emphasis that has the cumulative effect of placing the characters in an environment from which they cannot escape and in a situation that reflects their internal discomfort. The plot heats up as the setting heats up, building suspense while placing untested characters in such boiling heat that their lives can only be expressed in explosive release or resignation. Their tempers heat up as the temperature rises and it's only when they lose their cool that everything starts to cool down. I... middle of paper ... finished once Daisy and Gatsby left the Plaza. For the fair-weather princess, their passions had become too strong. After all, it was love at the beginning of summer, and the good weather was no more. Works cited and consultedBewley, Marius. “Scott Fitzgerald’s Critique of America.” Modern Critical Interpretations: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 11-27. Dyson, A.E. “The Great Gatsby: Thirty-six Years Later.” Mizener 112-24. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. England: Penguin, 1990. Hobsbawm, Eric. The era of extremes. New York: Pantheon, 1994. Tanner, Tony. "Introduction." The Great Gatsby. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald. England: Penguin, 1990. vii-lvi. Way, Brian. “The Great Gatsby.” Modern critical interpretations. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 87-108.