What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
Symbols play an important role in any story, as they create a sense of depth and meaning that couldn’t be achieved otherwise. This especially holds true in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. There are a multitude of symbols utilized throughout the novel; some with meanings that are obvious, while others are more obscure. These symbols and their interpretations are a hugely important part of the plot, but arguably the most important symbol of all is the Valley of Ashes. The Valley of Ashes symbolically represents the dissimilarities between the rich and poor, the despair of its dwellers, and the destructiveness of the main characters within the novel.
The foremost interpretation of the Valley of Ashes, is that it represents the dissimilarities
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This is introduced through character descriptions of George Wilson, a resident of the Valley. The novel states,” He was a blond, spiritless man, anæmic, and faintly handsome”(Fitzgerald). This evidence displays the soullessness and despair of the lives of its residents. George is described as a spiritless man, which displays his life as one that lacks certain elements of enjoyment or hope. In other words, he leads an empty life of despair. Another situation that supports this interpretation is the way Michaelis thinks of George. The book explains,”Generally he was one of these worn-out men: when he wasn’t working, he sat on a chair in the doorway and stared at the people and the cars that passed along the road. When anyone spoke to him he invariably laughed in an agreeable, colorless way. He was his wife’s man and not his own”(Fitzgerald). This evidence exhibits how the Valley of Ashes symbolizes despair. He is characterized as being worn-out, and when he isn’t working he just sits by and watches as life goes on around him. He is also described as being his wife’s man and not his own, providing further depth to his despair. Thus, the despair of people like George living in the Valley of Ashes is represented by the Valley itself.
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1574 Words | 7 PagesThe audience is positioned to view the Valley of Ashes as a direct relationship to the death of dreams, in which the lower-class people who live there have no hope for attaining the American Dream. Furthermore, Gatsby is originally in love with Daisy, but due to his low social status, she leaves him for a wealthier man. This motivates Gatsby to push through the societal barriers of the lower-class as he attains wealth through bootlegging. Using his wealth, Gatsby purchases an elaborate mansion
How Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
2771 Words | 12 PagesThe valley of ashes is where the ashes are dumped after large heaps of material are burned. It is a wasteland of sorts and is very dirty and unwanted. It looks similar to a fictional fallout type world. It portrays the lower class area and while in the valley of ash you notice the poverty that exist there. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg can be seen on a billboard looking over the haunting area.
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831 Words | 4 PagesWhen Fitzgerald first introduces the valley of ashes, he includes imagery describing the environment through the valley of ashes, and gives the readers different ideas of how different the valley of ashes is from the Eggs, which are earlier on described as fabulous riches, and glossy white everywhere. Comparing the glossy whites of the Eggs and the darkness described in the valley of ashes, the author starts to hint more at the theme of the Roaring 20’s and on how they class difference was so broad during this time
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626 Words | 3 Pagesgrey cars. . . gives out a ghastly creak” (Fitzgerald 27). Another way that shows the Valley of Ashes is the bad part of the American Dream is how instead of growing something beautiful from nature there are “. . . farm[s] where ashes grow like wheat” (27).
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809 Words | 4 PagesIt now represents an unattainable dream inside of everyone that is continuously sought after. Another recurring theme in The Great Gatsby are the looming eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. These eyes represent a higher power that is observing the immoral events that occur in the book. The Valley of Ashes symbolizes the poor lower class who suffers at the benefit of the wealthy. The Valley of Ashes could also represent the devastating effects of The American Dream.
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991 Words | 4 PagesTherefor this is shown how the Valley of Ashes symbolizes money and poverty being brought up and spread around people who live in this
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796 Words | 4 PagesOne extremely evident symbol in the novel is the valley of ashes. It represents the lack of morals and deteriorating selflessness. These representations have resulted from the overwhelming desire for wealth and having money as an only source of happiness. Daisy is a clear example of this, as she refuses to marry Gatsby because of how poor he was before he obtained such wealth. Therefore, it lead to Gatsby becoming someone he is not and masking his true identity.
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1294 Words | 6 PagesBoth the ash-covered scene and menacing billboard symbolize the disparity between the haves and have-nots, a theme echoed throughout the novel. While the Valley of Ashes shows the immense gap between the wealthy and poor, Fitzgerald also exhibits the differences between old money (people who’ve had money in their family for a long time) and new money (those who’ve recently become wealthy). Throughout the novel, Gatsby strives to be equal in the eyes of old money, although he is never able to fully achieve it. One example of Gatsby’s efforts are at his mansion, in his ornate library. Nick and Jordan enter the library to find a man looking over Gatsby’s books, astonished that they are real.
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794 Words | 4 PagesHe also used one of the simplest forms of symbolism: color. When talking about the Valley of Ashes, he mentions gray multiple times. He says that there are gray cars, gray men, and gray land. Gray is meant to symbolize a sort of nothingness or emptiness. Word choice also plays a big role in tone.
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599 Words | 3 PagesIn “The Great Gatsby, By Jay Gatsby”, there is a symbol called the Valley of Ashes. The symbols symbolize that during the 1920s life was good; for some people it was. As people would grow from the economy's growth others would get caught in the middle of it. Many would work their lives away in the factories and not gain anything while others such as the business owner would. In The Great Gatsby there is a quote that says, "Fine health to be pulled down out of the young breath-giving air"( Fitzgerald, Chapter 1).
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777 Words | 4 PagesThe poor work each day cleaning the ash heaps, constantly putting themselves in an endless cycle of dread. The Valley of Ashes symbolizes the moral decay in human society. There is a distinct contrast between people in The Valley of Ashes and those in East and West Egg. The people in the Eggs are known for their exponential wealth while the Ashes are known for being greatly poor. Those in the Eggs are all powerful and have many connections throughout.
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773 Words | 4 PagesFitzgerald uses myriad symbols such as a valley of ashes, a billboard, and a green light across the bay from Gatsby’s mansion, to convey his themes and influence the plot. A valley of ashes is used to convey the theme of the inequality of wealth that was so widespread in the 1920s. Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, and Nick Carroway go on a drive to visit Tom’s mistress. Myrtle lives in an apartment above her husband’s workshop, in the coal and ash covered mining town on the outskirts of New York City. Fitzgerald, in narrator Nick
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924 Words | 4 PagesThe 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
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1268 Words | 6 PagesIt also serves to portray the materialistic society that surrounds them (The Colors of Society - Camouflaged Discontent).” The characters portray such class and wealth along with fake happiness. The Valley of Ashes looks at how they feel on the inside which Daisy and Gatsby both ooze with discontent with how they’ve made decisions and how their lives did not turn out how they dreamed. Next, at one of Gatsby’s many house parties Nick makes a list of “grey names, and they will give you a better impression than [Nick’s] generalities (Fitzgerald 61).”
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504 Words | 3 PagesFitzgerald’s portrayal of the American Dream in the novel both compares and contrasts to that of Hughes’ portrayal in the poem through the usage of the literary devices of imagery, tone, and symbolism. Through the usage of imagery, The Great Gatsby paints a bleak picture of the failure of The American Dream on a disadvantaged group, while “I Too, Sing America” portrays it as something that can be improved upon. In the novel, a stretch of desolate land created as the result of industrial waste is described as “...a valley of ashes...where ashes grow like...grotesque gardens (Fitzgerald 23)”. This powerful imagery described the valley of ashes as a wasteland and a failure of the American Dream. The
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