Examples Of Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby

Valley of Ashes In the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts a small dismal and desolate “valley of ashes,” the home of the poor. The valley of ashes directly contrasts the luxurious and lavish eggs, the home of the wealthy. Fitzgerald purpose is to show that the residents of the valley of ashes have become trapped as a medium for power-hungry and ignorant people who crave prosperity. Fitzgerald utilizes personification when describing the valley of ashes. First, he utilizes personification when describing the ashes, which have a negative connotation associated with death, as seen in the line “...ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men...” This creates an effect in

The residents in the valley have become diminished by the ashes, losing all sense of hope for a better life, as shown by the fact that the men “move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”. The men move dimly as a result of working all day, but are crumbling because they see no sign of improvement. Stuck in this perpetual cycle they have no escape from the valley of ashes. In contrast, citizens of the upper class enjoy their luxurious homes while living the life the poor could only dream of. At the end of a long day’s work the wealthy can relax, take a sip of alcohol, and go to bed in their satin sheets. Fitzgerald also uses personification when describing the cars in this valley: “...a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to a rest...” Cars, which are normally associated with some level of prosperity, have become diminished, rusty, and dull; they too have been consumed by

Eckleburg in order to allude to the success of the American Dream. The billboard was placed by none other than Doctor T.J. Eckleburg himself, an oculist who abandoned the people of the valley of ashes after finding prosperity, as proved by the line “...[Doctor T.J. Eckleburg] sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away.” Clearly, Eckleburg’s procurement of wealth and accomplishment of the American Dream came at the expense of the residents of the valley of ashes, furthering the feeling of abandonment and hopelessness that surrounds the valley. Fitzgerald integrates the story of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg in order to imply that the American Dream may cause one man to have success but may be the source of the downfall of many others, usually the poor. The residents of the valley of ashes have to deal with the aftermath of being stepping stones to other people’s wealth everyday, while the rich socialites of the eggs sit comfortably in their cushioned chairs. The account of the billboard of the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg only furthers the contrast felt between the eggs and the valley of ashes by enhancing the tone of