Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream can be defined as the belief that every citizen of America should have an equal opportunity to achieve success through enough work and perseverance. This dream, however, is nothing more than an impossible concept. As residents of the United States know all too well, bills aren’t paid with the amount of ambition you have. No work of literature has ever scrutinized the American Dream as much as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. By using a great deal of symbols such as the Valley of Ashes, the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, the books within Gatsby’s library and the green light, Fitzgerald is able to communicate the fictitious nature of the American Dream. One of the earliest symbols introduced in the novel is the Valley

Eckleburg that depict an all-seeing presence is also located there. After Myrtle is killed, George looks to the advertisement and says that “[Myrtle] might fool me but she couldn’t fool God” (Fitzgerald 167). These eyes have a perfect vantage point of the result of failing to reach the American Dream, watching over the moral wasteland that is the Valley of Ashes. Not only do these eyes witness the death of Myrtle while she is trying to escape the valley, but also the repercussions that follow, which include the madness of George. Dr. Eckleburg’s eyes also get the pleasure of viewing “the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud which screens their obscure operations from your sight” (Fitzgerald 27). This describes how men who have failed to reach the American Dream find themselves in places like the Valley of Ashes, hidden from view and forgotten about by the outside world. In this case, the ash conceals their work and they fade into the background. By pretending that people like this don’t exist, the myth that is the American Dream is able to continue fooling others. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg symbolize how many may turn a blind eye to the flawed concept of the American Dream by ignoring the evidence around them, however, the eyes of the doctor can see the truth: the American Dream is a