The valley of ashes is a depressing place where no one would help them. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg provide a sense that someone is watching the wealthy do wrong. Fitzgerald contributes to the thought that someone is watching over the people of the dead land. As introduced by Fitzgerald, “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground,”(24). As the eyes dim more everyday, they are still accounting everything that goes on beneath them. The eyes could almost be the God of the valley, because they watch over every situation that occurs within the town. Immoral behaviors, focused on wealth building, created the ashes that lay upon the town, and Dr. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes
From the quote, “This is a Valley of Ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight” (23), it can be seen how the Valley of Ashes is a depressing place. It represents the moral and social decay that results from the continued search of wealth and acceptance in society. Seen by how the rich provide themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the forcefulness of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result.
Reference Ellis, A & Harper, R. (1975) A new guide to rational living. North Hollywood, CA:: Wilshire Book Company. Bandura A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice Hall; 1977.
The valley demonstrates the destroying American dream. The Valley of Ashes represents the poor who live near ashes and moral decay. The ashes show a symbol of death and that the American dream is impossible to achieve. It also shows the death of Myrtle and how your body has been dehumanized. Nick says, “Over the ashheaps that giant eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg kept their vigil, but I perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away” (124).
Jeaniene Frost once said, “People can perfect whatever facade they want, but everyone holds their sins close to their skin”. This quote relates to The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They both talk about the action of putting out to the world that you are someone else different than who you actually are, but your secrets always stay lurking in the background. The Great Gatsby is trying to show that putting out a facade of someone who you aren’t can have dire consequences. One character who puts up a facade is Jay Gatsby.
Kyle Jaxheimer Mrs. Moreno English 11 Honors 24 February 2023 Creative title Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes imagery, mood, and connotation to depict the significance of hopes and dreams. At first, Nick lives alone in a new city in New York, having moved there from his old town out west. He discovers his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, as well as the Great Gatsby, who he had heard a lot about before their meeting.
Throughout the two texts Fitzgerald and Hemingway uses various Christ-like items. Fitzgerald really made Christian allusions hard to find. But the one that has truly stood out to us all, are The Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg. These eyes seem to be watching everyone that drives in and out of the Valley of Ashes.
The first and most prominent set of eyes are those of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, huge and depicted on a billboard in the valley of ashes. The author writes, “ They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (26). These eyes serve as the pinnacle eyes of God, a feature within every piece of notable American literature throughout history. The eyes lack a face, accentuating the ethereal nature of the idea of God, and the size makes him larger than life. His foreboding grandness contradicts the dry purgatory of the valley of ashes, bringing up the imagery of the world being a fallen one.
Eckleberg's eyes witness some of the novels largest ethical collapses. The first of these is evidenced in Fitzgerald's quote “But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessy over it, you percieve, after a moment, the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg”(23). Nick refers to this area as “the valley of ashes”(Fitzgerald 23). The site of the billboard doubles as a representation for the poverty and class system that persisted in the time period, accompanied by the hypocrisy of the country's wealth boasting attitude. In the most literal sense, Eckleberg's eyes are an advertisement, which eludes to the harsh effects of capitalisim on the people who were unable to make it big.
1. The Valley of Ashes is the farm land or almost like a wasteland filled with ashes that separates the wealth of the East and West Egg Village. 2. “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic — their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (Fitzgerald 23).
They are God-fearing people-and the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg represents the eyes of God. The eyes sit in judgment over the destruction the rich created in the valley of ashes where the Wilsons live, which has been rendered gray and lifeless by industrial pollution, and the destruction the upper class characters will do to the Wilsons themselves. Similarly, the drab grayness of the valley of ashes represents the gray morality they live in. The valley and ashes and their residents bear the burdens of the rich and reflect the social theme of decay and corruption in the 1920s that the pursuit of wealth and pleasure brings. A world away from their dreary apartment in the valley of ashes, is “a long white cake of apartment houses” where Tom and Myrtle have their affair (32).
The valley of ashes also symbolizes the difficulties of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result. THE EYES OF DOCTOR T. J. ECKLEBURG Another dominant symbol within this novel is the billboard eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg which is in the middle of the valley of ashes, right next to Wilson’s garage staring at the waste that careless capitalism has
TJ Eckleburg. The billboard overlooks the Valley of Ashes, and stands out because of its bright blue eyes and golden lenses (Fitzgerald 23). The eyes of this billboard “represent the eyes of God watching down the moral corruption of America” (lhblogs). This is plainly seen, where, throughout the novel, this billboard “watches” all of the actions of the characters. It watched scenes such as George and Myrtle fighting upstairs in their room, Gatsby’s car hitting and killing Myrtle, and when Tom was headed to the city with Myrtle committing adultery.
First, in our comparison and differences, we should talk about the characters. First is Tom while in the book it shows that he was a bit uptight having Nick around in the first few chapters, Tom in the movie is more relaxed and with great confidence a bit snobby. When we first meet Daisy in the book, it appears that she is having the time of her life hanging out with Jordan but when any talk starts to head towards the love for Tom, she immediately saddens. Seeming to hide from the world. While in the movie, she from the very beginning is sad when she sees Nick but cheers up after some talking to.
The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis “They were careless people…” says Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby. In a story depicting the 1920s during a time of prosperity, growth, and the emergence of the America as a major global power, this statement may seem to be contrary. But in reality, Nick Carraway’s description of his friends and the people he knew, was not only true, but is an indication of those who were striving for the American dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream is foolish, the people who pursue it are immoral and reckless, and this pursuit is futile. First, F. Scott Fitzgerald proposes that the American dream is foolish.
Jacobo Delara Mr. Horner English II CP September 15 2014 The Great Gatsby The classic American Novel Nick Carraway is man from a wealthy family in Minnesota moving to west egg to learn about the Bond business. Then he gets involved with Mr. Gatsby which then sparks the beginning of the novel.