Scott Fitzgerald's brilliant masterpiece The Great Gatsby stands ground as one of the finest epitomes of twentieth century America. It is a meticulous and perfect representative of the Jazz Age America. The novel may have been conceived as the personal history of one man's infatuation for a woman but what it became in the writing is something much more compelling. Of all Fitzgerald’s' novels, this one shows the greatest consciousness of form in its construction.A subtle symbolism permeates all through the novel. A symbol is made here to function on several levels at once, fitting into the action at the same time as it represents an idea. There is an abundance not only of physical symbols in the novel but those that symbolize action and place as well. This paper aims to throw light on the symbolism and intricate colour play embedded in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The novel is laden with symbols. The symbols in The Great Gatsby are inextricably a part of the novel's fabric. Some of them are mentioned only once and are used to help in our identification of a character's personality. Fitzgerald has shown immaculate dexterity in the use of colour all through the novel. Colours play a pertinent role in depicting the characters and theme of the novel; colours achieve a symbolism of their own. Even the names in the novel are symbolic and have allegorical connotations. Thus it appears as if owing to the commendable talent of F. Scott Fitzgerald, symbolism and carefully sprinkled colour play has naturally seeped into the design of the novel giving underpinnings to the main action in the novel.