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Gatsby's Pink Suit

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering: in The Great Gatsby, what is the significance of Gatsby's pink suit? It is just seen as vulgar, or is it something else? Tom comments "An Oxford man...like hell he is! He wears a pink suit", but I'm unsure about the implied meaning behind the quote - can someone please explain?

I've had a quick look on Google but I couldn't really find anything, so it'd be much appreciated if someone could answer my question. Thanks in advance!
I haven't read this novel in ages and I technically don't study it, but I am just going to take this as if it was an unseen paper and offer some suggestions.

For me, I would assume that the pink suit suggests that Gatsby is a flamboyant, excessive person (as evidenced by his never-ending crazy parties). A pink suit is a really loud outfit in general, and to wear something this loud, especially since he's a man, in an era just very recently out of the Victorian-Edwardian period of wearing black and conservative singles Gatsby out of his environment and demands attention. If you want to try, you can link this loudness (combined with his parties) as part of his strategy of trying to attract Daisy's attention.

As for it being un-Oxfordly...I can't be sure, but since Oxford is (presumably) the oldest English university in the world, it could symbolise tradition and order and 'properness'. So to juxtapose Oxford's traditional setting with Gatsby's non-traditional attire and behaviour, especially when worded in that way in that quote, implies that Tom doesn't exactly believe that such a man can come out of this kind of university.
Original post by ashelisms
I haven't read this novel in ages and I technically don't study it, but I am just going to take this as if it was an unseen paper and offer some suggestions.

For me, I would assume that the pink suit suggests that Gatsby is a flamboyant, excessive person (as evidenced by his never-ending crazy parties). A pink suit is a really loud outfit in general, and to wear something this loud, especially since he's a man, in an era just very recently out of the Victorian-Edwardian period of wearing black and conservative singles Gatsby out of his environment and demands attention. If you want to try, you can link this loudness (combined with his parties) as part of his strategy of trying to attract Daisy's attention.

As for it being un-Oxfordly...I can't be sure, but since Oxford is (presumably) the oldest English university in the world, it could symbolise tradition and order and 'properness'. So to juxtapose Oxford's traditional setting with Gatsby's non-traditional attire and behaviour, especially when worded in that way in that quote, implies that Tom doesn't exactly believe that such a man can come out of this kind of university.

That's along the lines of what I was thinking, so thanks for that great answer! :smile:
Reply 3
The quote is a dig at Gatsby from Tom, showing that Tom is not threatened by him and criticises him. The pink suit Gatsby is wearing is to show that he will never be part of the Upper social class with Tom and Daisy Buchanan. This is because at Oxford they don't just learn from books, but also learn the standards of being in the 'old-money" social class. If Gatsby actually went to Oxford he would of learned to not wear a pink suit. This shows that Gatsby will never be part of the social class because he isn't able to learn everything out of a book. And Tom is able to see past Gatsby's wealth that he is just a 'factual imitation'. Tom and Daisy will always see 'new-money' people from West Egg including Gatsby as lower class and Daisy will never leave Tom for Gatsby because of the life they represent. And Tom will never see Gatsby as A THREAT.

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