Valley Of Ashes Symbolism In The Great Gatsby
The 1920’s was a time where the rich were not afraid to flaunt their wealth. They held outrageous parties and spent their money on lavish things. It was a time where some people were living the ‘American Dream’, while others struggled to get food on the table. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby he displays the extravagant lives of the wealthy through the luxurious life of James Gatz, or Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald influences the plot and conveys themes with symbols such as a simple green light, an abandoned set of eyes watching over the American society, and a bleak gully of dark ashes.
One of the most important symbols that Fitzgerald emphasizes is a green light across the bay separating two landmasses, West and East Egg, in his fictional Long Island. The bay Gatsby peers
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Fitzgerald uses the valley of ashes to symbolize the lives and struggles of the poor and represents the decaying morals of the rich. Along the “compact Main street” found in the valley of ashes is George Wilson's car repair shop which is one of only three shops. George, and the other poor citizens are living among the ashes while Gatsby and the wealthy spend carelessly for their own pleasure. Fitzgerald uses the ashes as a symbol to describe that the ‘American Dream’ is truly dead. The people of Fitzgerald fictional Long Island in the 1920’s longed to live like Jay Gatsby, and they did whatever it took to be that way. Myrtle Wilson desired to redefine her place is the social hierarchy by having an affair with Tom Buchanan, yet her choices turned her fate into death. In the end Gatsby who many thought was living the true ‘American Dream’ too found himself dead lacking the support and love for others. Fitzgerald attempts to show the reader the faults in the characters with the valley of ashes, society moves forward leaving others in the dust and always wanting
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What Does The Water Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
809 Words | 4 PagesThroughout many brilliant works of literature, a common item is placed amongst them: symbols. Symbols are often a key to further understanding a point the author is trying to convey to their readers. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, he utilizes the literary tool of symbols to illustrate a larger picture for his themes and characters within the novel. For example, the color green plays a prominent role in The Great Gatsby throughout the duration of the novel. However, the color has can have various interpretations.
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Myrtle's Ambition In The Great Gatsby
1052 Words | 5 PagesAlthough the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes the parties and prosperity of the American 1920's, it reveals many major characters meeting tragic ends. The characters who meet these ends - Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson, and George Wilson - possess the same tragic characteristic: they endeavor for something more out of their lives than what they have. This ambition for what they could not have ultimately spelled their doom: Gatsby wanted money and Daisy; Myrtle wanted wealth and luxury, and sought it from Tom Buchanan; Wilson earned what he could only to please Myrtle. The Great Gatsby reveals a tragic nature through the trials and tribulations these characters endure to progress and prosper, only to receive death for their ambition. The exciting and wild time period of the "Roaring Twenties" provides a stark contrast to the deaths in order to further highlight the tragic nature of the novel, and leaves a theme that even those with the most hope and strong ambitions can fail and die miserably, no matter how much money they have.
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What Does The Valley Of Ashes Represent In The Great Gatsby
453 Words | 2 PagesWe also learn about Nick from his descriptions. To conclude the feel of this novel, Fitzgerald introduces the theme of the pursuit of wealth so early in the story because it’s important to understand how it connects with the American Dream. The valley of ashes is a desolate land between West Egg and New York City that consists of dumping of industrial ashes. This place is literal and symbolic in one, it symbolizes poverty and hopelesness in such a way. These characters are helpless, they are suffering just like the environmental is.
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