Valley Of Ashes Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

Gordon Whitlow
Mrs. Wachell
AP Language
13 March 2023
The Death of the American Dream Ever since the conception of America and its yearning for freedom and liberty, the American dream has been at the forefront of any such ideologies. At first, the American dream motivated hundreds of thousands to fight for their freedom, but now it stands as a symbol of equal opportunity and success based on the premise of hard work and determination. In an ideal world, the American dream would signify that in America, you can find prosperity (and not only prosperity, but success in whatever form you wish), based solely on the premise of determination and hard work. This idea has been hindered by systemic discrimination and bias, and has ultimately been made

Some of the most important symbols in the novel are the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg and the Valley of Ashes. Although much of The Great Gatsby takes place in upper class settings, such as Gatsby’s mansion in West Egg, the Valley of Ashes is a much larger and geographically dominant part of New York. It stands to reason, then, that the Valley of Ashes is a much more realistic account of the state of America (and its inhabitants) than either of the Eggs. As Nick travels through the Valley of Ashes, he calls attention to a billboard with two large eyes: “But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” (Fitzgerald 26). Eyes, as a general symbol, represent something that watches over an area or people, as well as clairvoyance and discernment. A pair of eyes watch over the Valley of Ashes, and while it becomes apparent that the state of the Valley of Ashes is being discerned and acknowledged for its poor state, its judgment is not only a reflection of the Valley of Ashes’ poor economic and societal state, but also its poor moral state. What is meant by this is that, given the state of the Valley of Ashes, it is impossible to reflect the moral intentions of the American dream because nobody can escape poverty. Overall, this is a symbol used

Throughout the story, Gatsby has proven himself to be an extremely driven and motivated person, who stopped at nothing to achieve the level of success that he did. Gatsby, however, only ever pursued the most commonly accepted form of success: wealth. At the beginning of the novel, Nick sees Gatsby reach out towards the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock: “...he stretched out his arms toward the dark water… distinguished nothing except a single green light…” (Fitzgerald 24). We can see that, despite Gatsby’s commercial success, his true desire is his love interest, Daisy, who lies completely outside the realm of wealth and social status. It becomes clear that his wealth is only a symbol which represents Gatsby’s hard work and motivation. Something noteworthy is the irony Fitzgerald uses, where Gatsby’s wealth may outwardly seem to signify the attainment of the American dream, but in reality, only shows that all his hard work was for naught. It never helps him achieve his true goal: being with Daisy. While Gatsby did everything he possibly could for his version of the American dream to come true, no amount of hard work or perseverance helped him achieve it. It only led him to a tragic and lonely