The house in the book is described as “A cheerful red and white Georgian colonial mansion overlooking the bay” (Fitzgerald 13).

His house is beautiful. It overflows with luxury and sports cheerful colors. It sits prominently amongst the East Egg homes. These were my first thoughts surrounding Tom’s gorgeous mansion, it screamed old money and the red symbolized how well off he and Daisy are. The design and architecture are symmetric and perfect. The French windows allow rays of light all throughout the house and allow in the beautiful afternoons on the East Egg.

“glowing… with reflected gold, and wide open to the warm windy afternoon…”(Nick).

The descriptive language used by Fitzgerald made this house sound nothing less than paradise. I realized I had to look beyond paradise. Tom’s house symbolizes more than just the luxury and beauty of wealth it symbolizes the decay and corruption accompanying it. Tom with all of his money took things for granted. He takes Daisy for granted. The money consumed Tom and Tom consumed and ruined the lives of the people he was supposed to love the most. He is a coward and an adulterer. He hid it all behind all of the pretty walls and pillars. As a reader, I was only really able to realize this towards the end of the novel, there are so many hints and details that Fitzgerald riddles the novel with. I was drawn to the captivating environment of the house but only really thought about it after finishing the novel. It was a gateway into the disfunctioning of the Buchananan house. The way buildings in this novel are used continuously impresses me, there are details and descriptions of the characters where they reside. The house’s exterior reflects the outside of the characters while the inside reflects the internal values of the characters. I haven’t read a novel that has done this so well.