Chapter one There were many important parts about chapter one. I think that the green light drove the plot the most though. It also had a connection with Gatsby's desire and symbolized it. In the beginning of the book Nick began describing himself.
Moreover, Fitzgerald continues the farming analogy by bringing in vivid descriptions of the valley “where the ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.” The ideas defined are burn in to the reader’s conscious with the explicit disgust evoking analogy. The ashes are found just like the large fields of wheat that were formally found all around. The site is surely a recognizable one for most, but instead the astonishing view of the wheat waving around is replaced with the windy dusty fields. The burrows are mounted with the plague causing agents familiar to those acquainted with the
Fitzgerald 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
Fitzgerald creates clear distinctions between the upper and lower classes primarily through the use of the valley of ashes. The valley of ashes is nothing but a grey wasteland where “Ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke” but it is also the home of the poor, “The only building in sight was a small block of yellow brick sitting on the edge of the waste land”. This is very much different to East Egg, where the wealth live which is described that “Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water”. This distinct different between settings shows the differences of the classes but also the hollowness of the upper
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby to represent the roaring twenties lifestyle and the ever changing American Dream during the 1920s. Symbolism plays a drastic role in bringing the essay into a more perspective view for readers by growing characters, creating suspension and motivating the reader to continue reading. The Great Gatsby contains large amounts of symbolism, making it one of America's most loved novels. Fitzgerald uses different concepts of symbolism by integrating weather, location, colors and signs into the book by playing out relatable situations, for example the tension during hot weather. The valley of ashes played a very significant role in the book The Great Gatsby by creating a definition of the classes.
In many ways, Farm City is a political book that touches areas that the city population didn’t know existed. When we imagine a farm we think large vast area with perfect sunny weather and huge sum of produce. What we learn from this book is that we can be a farmer with just planting a pot of vegetation by the windowsill or keeping a pet rabbit with intent to kill it and consume it. I spontaneously went to the flee market one Sunday and came across some rabbits. I currently am raising a bunny in my apartment that I adore and although I might not kill it myself, I heard rabbit’s meat is delicious.
Authors often integrate symbols and motifs to their writing to foreshadow later events. In one of the most famous pieces of American literature, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald drops hints to forecast terrible outcomes. The novel occurs during the roaring twenties and accentuates the wild and extravagant lifestyle of Long Island’s enclaves. In between East and West Egg’s opulence, there is the Valley of Ashes, a dark, grey wasteland. Even though their opulent lifestyle seems magnificent, one couple, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, faces marriage troubles because of their loss of love.
Fitzgerald explains this through the introduction of the valley of ashes, a poverty stricken area of “gray land” that includes “ the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg” (Doc. F). The people in this area such as Myrtle weren't rich but wanted to be and used loud colors or patterns to seem as something they weren't. Likewise, the mention of the sign represents that “God” was watching all the Caucasus going on (Doc. F).Despite this fact, the 1920s was a prosperous age in which many Americans came to enjoy the blessings of consumerism and excess.
Fitzgerald’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
It symbolizes poverty, and the population of Manhattan that is not rich and self indulged in their personal lives. The Valley of Ashes is described as a dumping ground, Nick even explains how it’s “bounded on one side by a small foul river, and, when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour” (27). This is completely opposite to places like West Egg, where most of the novel is taken place. Everything is luxurious and fast paced, comparing these two places opens up many symbols in the reader's mind, like poverty and the fact that not every American at that time could live as Gatsby can, for instance.
Throughout the story, Fitzgerald uses three vastly different geographical areas to show the separation between classes. The Valley of Ashes, where the poor live, is described as a “desolate area of land ... [where] spasms of bleak dust drift endlessly” (Fitzgerald 23). The poor people are trapped here, and no matter how hard they work, they can never escape this grim existence. The idea of no social mobility, and having no control over one's life, reflects the Naturalist view of society.
It 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).”
Literary deaths always have a meaning, and the abrupt demise of various characters in The Great Gatsby is no exception. As tensions build and secret loves are proclaimed, characters begin to meet untimely deaths. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby and Wilson's deaths, along with Gatsby's funeral, to symbolize the death of the American dream. Both men simply want to be successful and happy, and neither of them achieve their ultimate dreams.
Seth Harvey Ms. Maggert English Honors III 7 April 2017 The Death and Resurrection of the American Dream In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald quietly critiques the American Dream and the way it has been besmirched through the use of strong symbolism and the story of Jay Gatz. In the novel, Gatsby symbolizes the American Dream, coming from rags to riches. The 1920s is where the American Dream began to change.
In 1925 the novel, The Great Gatsby, was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel takes place in the 1920s, which is also known as The Jazz Age or The Roaring 20s. This was the time where the partying was at its best peak because of the economic boom and expansion America experiences (Historical Context: The Great Gatsby). However, the 1920s was also an era of decay and corruption. In the novel, Nick Carraway, the main character, witnesses events that portray the corruption while in New York.
