What are symbols?

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. For example, a dove might be a symbol for peace. A peace sign is also a symbol used to represent peace.

Check out the video below to get a better understanding of symbols. (The video goes through some symbols in a book that we aren't reading for this class, but maybe you have read before.)

Author's use symbols in their writing all the time. They help to reinforce ideas and can help to support a point the author is making. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is full of symbols. Sometimes the symbols are somewhat difficult to assign meaning to. So we have to look at them carefully.
Go back and skim through Chapters 1 and 2. Do you notice any symbols? Find at least one for the discussion that follows.