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The Great Gatsby Symbolism Analysis

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Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism in Gatsby
The novel of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is infused with symbolism. The symbolic meanings in the novel are fluid to a certain point; Because, they mean different things to different readers, as well as the characters in the case of this novel. Fitzgerald’s use of symbols such as: the eyes of T.J Eckleburg, the Green Light, and the Valley of Ashes is prevalent throughout the novel. The eyes of T.J Eckleburg represent different things to different characters, such as God, the haunting past, and vigil. The Green Light at the end of the Buchanan mansion docks represents both the past and the future. The Valley of Ashes represents the dead American Dream.
Firstly, there are the eyes of T.J Eckleburg. The eyes themselves are on a billboard, as an ad for an ophthalmologist. The eyes “watch” over the valley of ashes. “The eyes of doctor T.J Eckleburg… solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 23). The eyes themselves represent a “Big Brother” (Mass surveillance in modern culture). They watch over the valley of ashes, acting as God to a certain point, to a certain character. George Wilson views the eyes as guidance. “God knows what you’ve been doing… T.J Eckleburg” (Fitzgerald 159-160). Wilson views the eyes as a godlike entity and uses the advertisement to justify his murder of Jay Gatsby. A central symbol of guilt, judgement, and God. It invests in the valley with a moral intensity. Throughout the novel, the mention of God and the eyes

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