Reading Rainbows

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Reading Rainbows

• Writing Along The Color Spectrum

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Have you heard these terms?
Seeing red Green with envy Feeling blue Yellow belly Blacklisted Tickled pink

• What do these terms mean to you?
• Why do we use colors in literature to symbolize
  other meanings?

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What do colors symbolize?
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Why do authors select specific colors to give
characters or locations psychological weight?

• Think of the following titles
• The Orange Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Color Turquoise by Alice Walker
• The Yellow Badge Of Courage by Stephen Crane
• Snow Purple And The Seven Dwarfs by the Brothers
  Grimm

Would the stories found within these fictional
novels be any different from the actual
correctly titled books? How so?
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Lets add some color to the proceedings and shed
some light on the issue.
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Red

• Red is the warmest of all colors, but if it goes
  unchecked, the color can display anger or
  disgust.
• Red is associated with fiery heat. It can also
  mean danger and signify intense burning, either
  real or imagined.
• Red is the color of blood, and as such has strong
  symbolism for the vitality of life and the human
  instinct to survive.
• Dark red is also the color of passion and lust.

Literary Example The Red Badge Of Courage by
Stephen Crane (1895) Widely considered to be one
of the best pieces of American anti-war fiction,
the story follows a young soldier who runs away
from a battle his regiment is fighting. The
soldier gets hit in the head accidentally and his
wound becomes legendary within the ranks as it is
believed to have been battle-inflicted. With
such an impressive leader fighting alongside
them, the soldier inspires others to
fight bravely on the battlefield until even the
soldier himself finds the courage within.
Other examples Little Red Riding Hood (a very
sexualized tale of a young girl lost in the
forest), The Scarlet Letter (the color signifies
sin and adultery)
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Green

• Green is the color of nature and fertility.
• The color contains the powerful energies of
  growth, desire to expand or increase.
• Out of this desire come the all-too-human traits
  of jealousy and greed (the almighty dollar is
  this color).
• Green symbolizes the need to be cunning, the
  ability to deceive others and the willingness to
  betray even the closest of friends.

Literary Example Sir Gawain The Green Knight,
an epic poem of an Arthurian legend The
narrative of this old English poem tells of one
of the knights of the Round Table who challenges
a knight dressed and painted entirely green. The
legend follows the knight one year later who must
appear before the Green Knight once more to
complete the challenge. Along the way, he is
seduced by a lady of the court, deceived by a
kindly King, and persuaded to deny his honor.
The poem is a morality tale about the traps the
Green Knight sets up.
Other examples Othello (Iagos treachery is
forewarned with the immortal line, O Beware, My
Lord of jealousyit is the green-eyed monster
which doth mock the meat it feeds on)
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White

• Strictly speaking, white is not a color, but the
  manifestation of the presence of all color - the
  complete energy of light.
• It stands for wholeness and completion.
• It represents purity and truth.
• White also has a cold quality and can symbolize
  innocence within a character or location.

Literary Example Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
by the Brothers Grimm (ca. early 19th Century) A
fairy tale with European roots, it has been told
in many countries and was part of the Brothers
Grimm collection. The version familiar in the
United States is most like the German rendition,
which includes an envious evil queen/stepmother,
a poisoned apple, a talking mirror, abandonment
in the woods, and seven helpful dwarfs. All the
while, Snow White exemplifies all that is pure
and innocent in the fairy-tale world she lives
in.
Other examples Tom Sawyer (the whitewashing of
the fence symbolizes the remnants of innocence
prior to puberty), Moby Dick (the color of the
whale demonstrates a powerful energy that is
hunted by others)
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Black

• Black is the most misunderstood color.
• Black symbolizes death in some literary works and
  evil antagonists usually dress in this color to
  personify their wicked motives.
• Black is actually the absence of all color,
  absorbing all aspects of light.
• While white reveals, black conceals. It has come
  to mean hidden, fearful or bad experience and is
  linked to the unknown or the unseen. Black can
  be mysterious, but also represents danger.

Literary Example The Black Arrow A Tale Of Two
Roses by Robert Louis Stevenson (1888) A
historical adventure novel set at the time of the
War of the Roses, following The adventures of
Richard Shelton who longs to avenge the murder of
his father. At first, fiercely loyal to his own
house, he suspects betrayal from within and
aligns Himself with a group of bandits whose
calling card is a black arrow driven into
a Specific target, leaving a note for the
intended soon-to-be-victim.
Other examples The Black Cat (a mysterious
feline figure could be a figment of The authors
imagination), The Black Tulip (a tale of brutal
murder and romantic Love make the case against
political tyranny and seek justice)
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Yellow Orange
While it appears bright and cheerful at first glance, the color yellow signifies darker undercurrents. It is used to show fear and cowardice in characters, and also symbolizes insanity or an unhinged mind. Literary Example The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1891) A short story written in the first person as a series of journal entries. The narrator is a woman whose husband, a doctor, has confined her to the upstairs bedroom of a house he has rented for the summer. She is forbidden from working and has to hide her journal entries from him so that she can recuperate from a "temporary nervous breakdown She begins to go mad, becoming obsessed with the pattern of the rooms wallpaper, picturing herself crawling with other confined women beneath it, never allowing herself to leave the room. Orange means vitality with endurance. Orange offers a more thoughtful control than explosive red. Curiosity is a driving characteristic of orange, and with it comes exploration of new things. Orange symbolizes paranoia and sudden fits of violence. Literary Example A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962) A novel set in a not-so-distant future that is told in the first person by the lead character, who is the leader of a band of thugs who revel in violent acts and creating mayhem in the streets of an authoritarian society. The main character, Alex, soon finds that his gangs exploits are no match for the terrifying torture provided by the government, when he is captured and sentenced to rehabilitation.
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Blue Purple
Blue is the calming color, but it also gives a feeling of distance. It can indicate sadness and depict horrible loss. But through the tears, it gives way to clarity, allowing an increase in outward perspectives. Literary Example The Island Of The Blue Dolphins by Scott ODell (1960) A childrens novel about a young girl who is marooned on an island for 18 years. She experiences the death of her brother and must take over the duties of survival as she waits for a passing ship to take her home. Purple is the color of people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind. Purple has also been used to symbolize magic and mystery, as well as royalty. Literary Example The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1983) Told from the point of view of letters, the novel tells of the hardships and perseverance of Celie, a black woman in 1930s rural Georgia. The title derives from a discussion about faith and the rekindling of Celies spirituality.
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The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
Not all literary works rely on the same symbolism
between colors. The novel we are about to read
consciously assigns new, contradictory symbols to
colors we have learned about. How does
Fitzgerald play with conventions of color
metaphors in Gatsby?

• Examples
• Yellow (or gold) is symbolic of wealth and money.
  (This can be seen in the color of Gatsby's car.)
• Green is symbolic of hope. (The Dutch who first
  settled New York saw the green of the land
  Gatsby's hope for Daisy's love is seen in the
  green light at the end of Daisy's dock.)
• White is a symbol of lack of morality and lack of
  virtue. (In the beginning, both Daisy and Jordan
  are dressed in white.)
• Blue is a symbol of death. (The lawn around the
  pool where Gatsby was killed is blue.)

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Works Cited

• http//crystal-cure.com/color.html
• Howard, Adam, http//www.byzantinecommunications.c
  om/adamhoward/homework/highschool/gatsby.html
• Howard, Melissa, Little Red Riding Hood, Suite
  101.com Aug. 8, 2007, http//fairytales.suite101.
  com/article.cfm/little_red_riding_hood
• Joe, Jim, Timeless Myths, http//www.timelessmyths
  .com/arthurian/gawain.html
• Long, Bill, Othello, The Moor Of Venice, 2004
• http//www.drbilllong.com/ShakeO/Othello.htm
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