Question at position 5 What does the green light at the end of the dock symbolize?The danger of longing for the pastGatsby’s hard work that led to his wealth and successGreed and the corruptive influence of moneyThe hope for the American Dream and Gatsby’s longing for Daisy

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The Green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a rich symbol in The Great Gatsby, inviting a nuanced discussion about meaning and interpretation.
Option 1: 'The danger of longing for the past' — This captures a theme in the novel, but the green light itself more directly embodies future-oriented longing and aspirational hope rather than merely nostalgically clinging to the past. The danger of longing is a subset of the broader symbol, not the primary interpretation typically assigned to the light itself.
Option 2: 'Gatsby’s hard work that led to his wealth and success' — While Gatsby’s wealth is a key element of the plot, the green light is not a concrete representation of his labor or material achievement. The symbol transcends mere cause-and-effect about wealth; it points to aspiration and yearning that money alone cannot fulfill.
Option 3: 'Greed and the corruptive influence of money' — This reflects a critical reading of Meyer Wolfsheim, Tom Buchanan, and others within the novel, but the green light remains more aspirational and abstract than a condemnation of wealth. It is not primarily about greed or moral critique of money, though those themes are present elsewhere in the narrative.
Option 4: 'The hope for the American Dream and Gatsby’s longing for Daisy' — This option aligns closely with widely accepted interpretations. The green light represents the broader American Dream—an ideal of success, renewal, and possibility—and, on a personal level, Gatsby’s longing for Daisy as the embodiment of that dream and his future. It suggests both a hopeful horizon and the personal fixation on a specific lost love that motivates his actions.
In evaluating these interpretations, it’s useful to consider how the light is described in the text, its placement across the water from Gatsby’s mansion, and how it recurs throughout the narrative as a magnet drawing Gatsby forward. The symbol’s ambiguity also allows for readings that connect individual desire with larger social ideals, rather than reducing it to a single, literal cause or consequence.
Taken together, option 4 best captures both the thematic scope of the symbol (the American Dream as an achievable, though elusive, horizon) and Gatsby’s personal longing (his fixation on Daisy as the object and symbol of that dream).

Question at position 5 What does the green light at the end of the dock symbolize?The danger of longing for the pastGatsby’s hard work that led to his wealth and successGreed and the corruptive influence of moneyThe hope for the American Dream and Gatsby’s longing for Daisy

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