Does Dr. T. J Eckleburg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the author uses the story of lost love to depict the moral decline of America during the 1920s. The story takes place over the summer of 1922 near Long Island, New York. Symbolism plays a major role throughout the novel. Although the author states the symbols only have meaning because the characters give them meaning, the green light, the eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleburg, and the Valley of the Ashes all have significant impacts on the characters. Although all the symbols are important, the eyes of Dr. T. J Eckleburg on the billboard in the Valley of the Ashes are the most important symbols in the entire book. The author uses the all-seeing eyes of Dr. T. J Eckleburg to demonstrate that one’s reality

T. J Eckleburg are the eyes of God and that God watches and judges the characters every move. Wilson’s house and his garage are located within sight of the all-seeing eyes. Mr. Wilson loves and adores his wife Myrtle, so when he finds out that she has been having an affair with Tom Buchanan, he is devastated. When Wilson confronts Myrtle about her immoral acts, he takes her to their window, and tells her to look at the forgotten billboard. He says, “God knows what you have been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” (Fitzgerald 159). Wilson believes that the eyes of God see everything, but his neighbor Michaelis believes the eyes are just an advertisement. After Myrtle’s murder, Wilson is consumed with grief for his lost love. In Wilson’s grief stricken mind he believes the eyes tell him that he must get revenge for his wife’s death. George Wilson believes that the eyes will always see what one does wrong and will judge one accordingly. Therefore, when he murders Gatsby, he believes he must take his own life rather than be judged by the all-seeing eyes. Wilson’s skewed perception of his circumstances caused him to respond in a negative way to the reality of losing the love of his

Wilson believes that the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg are the eyes of God, Nick Carraway sees them as a symbol of the loss of spiritual values in pursuit of the American dream. The billboard, just like the spiritual values of the characters, is neglected: “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24). In the beginning of the story, Nick, a young idealistic Midwesterner, believes that Tom and Daisy have a healthy marriage and that Gatsby is a happy, wealthy man. Due to his quiet demeanor and his ability to be a good listener, many people trust him with their secrets. As the story progresses, he is able to see their disguise and realize that their appearances are deceiving. Since Daisy is his cousin, he is able to observe the hidden love affair between Daisy and Gatsby. He is also unwillingly drug into the situation due to his ability to see that Tom has an affair with Myrtle, which resulted in Daisy murdering Myrtle with Gatsby’s car. Gatsby, who had a love affair with Daisy before the war, is still completely in love with her. The idea of having Daisy as his own becomes all-consuming, and he moves across the bay from her in order to pursue her. He throws lavish parties in the hopes that she will come and that she will fall in love with him now that he has tremendous wealth. However, Gatsby gets his money through illegal means, having set aside his morals in the pursuit of love.