Question

I decided to call to him. Miss Baker had mentioned him at dinner, and that would do for an introduction. But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone – he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.

—The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

What is the effect of Gatsby reaching through the dark setting toward the light?

It creates conflict.

It creates mystery and interest.

It emphasizes ideas and themes.

It resolves conflict.

Answer 1

It emphasizes ideas and themes.

Gatsby reaching toward the distant green light functions as a strong symbol of his longing and the larger themes of idealized desire and the American Dream — the light is an unattainable goal, the dark setting underscores isolation and futility.