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Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

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Ava Latoria Mrs. Mennenoh English 3 Honors 10 March 2023 Desire for the Dream The American Dream gives people a false sense of hope and positivity for the future, but, in the long run, the American dream only draws people back to the past. James Gatsby, formerly Jay Gatz, illegally inherits an abundance of wealth so that he can live his American Dream. Before he gets deployed in the war, Gatsby meets his true love, Daisy Buchannan. Since she is from a wealthy family, Gatsby decides to raise his social status by illegally receiving money, so that he can get on her level. When Gatsby goes back to Daisy, she is married to Tom, therefore making it hard to get back together with him. Gatsby does not give up, and he does everything in his effort …show more content…

In The Great Gatsby, the setting is used to communicate that the American Dream is unrealistic and a false sense of hope. Acting as a barrier to separate West Egg from New York City, the Valley of Ashes symbolizes the downfall of the American Dream by showing indulgences of the rich, and hopelessness of the poor. By using strong imagery to describe the destruction and decay in the Valley of Ashes, Fitzgerald describes the moral and environmental decline resulting from capitalism. The Valley of Ashes is described as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald 23). Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s brooding eyes symbolize God’s eyes looking down and judging the moral downfall of the American society. These eyes also show that the American Dream is unachievable and can change someone’s actions and how they view the world. On many billboards, Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes ominously observe The Valley of Ashes, from “above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust …show more content…

Nick, Gatsby’s neighbor, experiences the American Dream second handedly, through Gatsby and his strong desire for Daisy. While Nick never has an opportunity to experience the dream for himself, he believes that Gatsby’s American Dream is just a repetition of the past, giving Gatsby false hope that he can spend his life with the woman he desires. Nick disagrees with Gatsby’s pursuit of the past because he thinks that it is impossible to recreate the past. Reflecting on Gatsby’s devotion to Daisy, Nick realizes that Gatsby wants to “recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that [has] gone into loving Daisy. His life [has] been confused and disordered since then” (Fitzgerald 110). With his high social status and inherited wealth, Tom Buchannan lives the dream that many people, like Gatsby, long for. Besides all of Tom’s riches and his marriage to Daisy, he is not satisfied, and he takes advantage of his fortune by having a public affair with Myrtle Wilson. After Myrtle’s death, Tom looks for condolences from Nick by explaining how heartbroken he is, showing that he is self centered and has no remorse for his actions (Fitzgerald 178). With Gatsby’s newly found wealth, he hopes that he can win Daisy back, and pursue a relationship with her, similarly to their unfinished relationship from five years prior. Even

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After realizing he lost her love when he came back from war, he devoted his whole life to winning her back, and reviving the relationship and feelings they used to have for each other. For example he, committed himself to the sense of obtaining and having money, which used to be his real dream, before he met Daisy. The problem was Gatsby wanted a lot of money fast, so instead of being a true honest gentleman, Gatsby received his money through selling liquor illegally, and teaming up with the con, “Meyer Wolfshiem”. Gatsby's intense desire also drove him to acquire a house presently near Daisy and Tom’s home, a place where Gatsby can gaze and praise from. Then Gatsby starts to throw very popular parties in hopes that Daisy may notice and come to one, but she never does.

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Since Daisy is his cousin, he is able to observe the hidden love affair between Daisy and Gatsby. He is also unwillingly drug into the situation due to his ability to see that Tom has an affair with Myrtle, which resulted in Daisy murdering Myrtle with Gatsby’s car. Gatsby, who had a love affair with Daisy before the war, is still completely in love with her. The idea of having Daisy as his own becomes all-consuming, and he moves across the bay from her in order to pursue her. He throws lavish parties in the hopes that she will come and that she will fall in love with him now that he has tremendous wealth.

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The author introduces the desolate land known as the valley of ashes, which is far from the lavish lives lived in the Eggs’. When introducing this dark and eerie slice of land, Fitzgerald incorporates imagery in helping develop his theme relating to the Roaring 20’s and the American Dream. Nick begins to explain the valley of ashes in discrete detail. “This is the valley of ashes--- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses…” ( 23). In this excerpt from the text, not only does Fitzgerald use many forms of imagery, but he incorporates diction that helps develop his theme as well as a simile.

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However, during Gatsby’s time serving in war Daisy met Tom Buchanan, a wealthy and proud man whom Daisy’s family approved of, as opposed to Gatsby who never gained her family’s approval. Due to Daisy’s fear of approval, she abandoned hope for Gatsby’s return and subsequently married Tom. As a result of this excruciating news, Gatsby dedicated the next five years of his life in pursuit of Daisy’s approval. Furthermore, throughout the story Gatsby was found performing any means necessary in order to earn the money he never had, along with throwing extravagant parties each night with a sliver of hope that Daisy might one day wander into one and find him waiting for her. Meanwhile, Gatsby was obsessed with becoming a perfect mold of himself just for her.

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In the novel, the valley of ashes is symbolic of the American Dream because it represents the failures of society and mankind. When traveling back home, Nick often passes the valley of ashes and describes that, “This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (23). Even though Gatsby achieved the American Dream and became successful, his values were ultimately corrupted by his greed and wealth in order to entice Daisy. In comparison to the valley of ashes, Gatsby’s physical surroundings begin to have superficial values making him hollow similarly to the crumbling valley. The valley of ashes, also demonstrates the oppression of the poor who are forced to live in a such a world where only the wealthy thrive.

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n the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, absolute chaos is unleashed, with Jay Gatsby and the green light, as well as Myrtle Wilson trying to escape her life and husband. The characters are regularly seen in pursuit of their versions of the American Dream, however, they can not fully grasp it, and it seems to slip out of their hands right as they were about to grab it. The theme of, working hard will lead to the American Dream, is not possible for everyone to reach the American Dream no matter how much they attempt at doing so. Fitzgerald shows the terrible results of pursuing a dream that is beyond the reach of many people through characters and symbols in the novel.

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Gatsbys unrelenting pursut of the “AMerican DReam” through hsi love for daisy, is one of the tragic triats that drives the story. In the book Gatsby mentions to believe in the “green light, the orgastich future that year by year recedes before us”, this embellished the idea of gatsbys obsession for the american dream. Gatsbys main goal was to pursue daisy, he was willing to do so even if it meant deminishing his values. Gatsbys consistency on the idea on rekiniling his relationship with daisy added to the tragicicty of the book. In the book theres a queto about GAtsby thats says “he talked a lot about the past, and i gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea od himself perhaps, that had gone into loving daisy”, this shows that

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