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How Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

731 Words3 Pages

Janea Garcia
Walter American Lit
Period 4
December 7, 2015

Living the American Dream

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famously written book The Great Gatsby uses a wide coalition of symbols and motifs throughout the whole entire story. The main theme and purpose portrayed throughout the book is to show the decadence, decay, and greed of corrupted Americans such as Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby. Daisy’s greed has corrupted Gatsby to the point of pursuing criminal activity in hopes of winning Daisy over, once again.

There is no doubt that in the book The Great Gatsby, there is such a wide range and variety of hidden symbols and motifs used to symbolize the famous American Dream. The American Dream represents that no matter who you are, …show more content…

The Valley of Ashes is portrayed as just a dumping ground in New York… But F. Scott Fitzgerald builds it into a deeper meaning. Hauhart describes it as “…the valley of ashes collectively unite Fitzgerald’s major themes of hope, illusion, mortality, corruption, materialism, success, and failure.” …it represents the lack of liveliness and corruption of it’s once original freedom and beauty. Fitzgerald is a brilliant writer and even included weather as some of his whimsical hidden symbols and motifs. It is not a coincidence that Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion is during the pouring rain…but when their love soon rekindles, the sun slowly begins to come out again. In chapter seven (pg 128), during the climax of the book, on the most scorching hot summer day, Tom surmises Gatsby about attending Oxford and being in love with Daisy, he soon catches onto all the innuendos and confronts Gatsby. Gatsby and Tom both lose their sangfroid quickly and it soon becomes a heated argument that stirs up into a brawl between Gatsby and Tom over Daisy being greedy and loving …show more content…

For instance, during chapter two (pg 23), George Wilson is riding through the Valley of Ashes with Tom Buchanan. When they come across the so called “Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg”, “George claims that those eyes are actually God staring down on them and judging him and everyone else as they all become more and more corrupted. But it turns out that it is all in George Wilson’s head…” Moreover, although a symbol for God perched above the valley of ashes overlooks the human doings in Gatsby, there is not a single scene or mention in the novel relating to a religious institution or creed that affirms the importance of belief, moral conduct, or the spiritual life generally.” (Hauhart’s article) the eyes he claims to be God, are just a billboard advertisement for an eye doctor. George Wilson is a classic example of an American citizen that you cannot help but except to commiserate with whom has been affected by the corrupted American

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