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What Does Ash Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald ,F scott there are different type of symbols in this story shows more important than the characters.The Great Gatsby to represent a up and down of the American Dream during the 1920s. First, He used Vally of Ash as an important symbolic place in novel. Second, the author mention green light as symbol to focal point. Lastly, eyes of the billboard of Dr, T.J. Eckleburg symbolize God judging American society. In The Great Gatsby, three important symbols are introduced such as The Valley of ash, green light and the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg have different meanings and are integrated all over the novel. Therefore,The context of the many symbols in The Great Gatsby point out extensive revealing the hidden …show more content…

it a very big Ash industry. This symbol is one of the main point showed how the life is different from the wealthy life. These ashes are a parallel to the moral degradation of the society. It also where poor people live and suffer because of the vagary of the rich. Valley of Ashes also symbolizes the condition in which the poorer American society lived. "...[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). In this case, this display how the environment look like. For example, area is more fadey and the air is dismal. Similarly, In “ U.S.A., Land of Limitations?” by Nicholas Kristof, he mentioned, “ Remember that disadvantage is less about income than environment “(1). The writer indicate this because in The Great Gatsby people from Valley of Ash make less money and also their had really atrocious condition …show more content…

As Tom said in chapter one, "I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of the dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness"(Fitzgerald). In detail, when he saw a green light,it was a just a light that may have been at the end. When Gatsby vanished, this represented him approaching and trying to attain the green light, which was his future he sought after and believed in. The green light represents his hope.
In the story Gatsby saw the green light as just another contingent to gain back Daisy’s heart. However,it is the green light at Daisy’s dock Jay Gatsby stares at for long time hoping one day try to win her and to be back together.The green light inspires him but he never reaches it.This light can be nothing more lead, but the hope for the bright future for the American society. It can be Gatsby’s personal dream and at the same time it is the American dream of everyone. The green light inspires him reach his dream. For instance, according to Sara Rimer in “ Gatsby’s Green Light Beckons a New Set of Strivers”, She mentions that “ Green color always represents hope, my green light? Said Jinzhou, who has been studying The Great Gatsby in her sophomore English class at the Boston Latin School. “My green light is Harvard”(Rimer1). As an illustration, this article

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The Great Gatsby by, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is during the 1920’s, also called the “roaring twenties” which was a period that was characterized by jazz music, freedom, alcohol, freedom, and the ban on alcohol during the Prohibition Era across the nation which made bootlegging a problem. Throughout the novel characters are introduced and opinions are established about them. Symbolism is used to give ideas a deeper meaning in different ways in literal or not. It is clear that Fitzgerald, the author, gave us clear examples of many symbolic things which may include people, objects, or places. Fitzgerald has placed two important symbolic items in the

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Thomas Foster emphasizes that symbols have many different interpretations that are determined by our “individual history.” Factors such as race, gender, religion, and education contribute to our “individual history” to give every reader a differing perspective on literature. Symbols are used throughout The Great Gatsby to further develop themes of the decline of the American Dream, class and societal differences, and the difficulty of time. For example, one evolving symbol in The Great Gatsby is the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. At the beginning of the novel, the light represents the dream Gatsby has to be with Daisy, but as the possibility of attaining his dream diminishes, we see the symbol change.

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The Great Gatsby is a book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald this book contains a lot of symbols and deeper meanings. In this book some of the symbols are the green light and the valley of ashes .There are also a lot of deeper meanings in the characters’, like Daisy, Nick and Jay. So, theses symbols and deeper meanings really added to the book. They added to the book by making the motives of the characters more clear by providing more insight into the characters goals. The green light at the end of Tom’s dock really affected Jay.

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Next, the valley of ashes physically represents the detriment of being left on the failing side of the American dream. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the narrator describes the valley of ashes: “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 and chimneys and rising smoke…” (Fitzgerald, PAGE #). The people living in this valley are left, figuratively and literally, in the dust by the rich. Although they put in the gruelling work the American Dream demands, they continuously fall short of these hopes.

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In the last chapter of the novel Nick informs the reader that the story is being told from two years after Gatsby’s unfortunate death. Coincidentally, Gatsby’s death occurs soon after he feels his American Dream has been completed. The last chapter of the book happens to be Nick ’s last night in Long Island, and on the very last page as he is staring off at the green light he shares “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us”(Fitzgerald 206). This reveals to the reader that even after Buchanan's moving and Gatsby’s death, the green light sticks around and continues to glow.

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Gatsby associated it with his most admired and loved one daisy, and in chapter one he reaches towards it in the darkness as a guiding light to to lead him to his goal. The green light was such a motivational piece for him, it seemed to get closer and closer as the story goes on and finally as he feels he’s almost able to grasp it he is shot by wilson, well that may be a theory but one that makes sense since he thought he killed his wife. Jay Gatsby was remembered as the person who always faught and went foward no matter what. The great distance he came to just for one person he loved was unbelievable. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us.

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The author uses the green light to show Gatsby’s journey and progress of pursing his hopes and dreams. At the end of chapter one, Fitzgerald writes, “Involuntarily, I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away”(21). The excerpt shows that Gatsby continues to long for his dream of being with Daisy, though it is far away. The green light appears again, as Gatsby gets closer to Daisy, proving to her that he is financially able to give her a happy and luxurious life. Gatsby states, “you always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock”(94).

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The Valley of Ashes In the story The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator, Nick, talks about the valley of ashes and what it seems to represent. Nick discusses how the valley of ashes symbolizes hopelessness, the valley of ashes appears to be a dirty and unruly place, and how the level of poverty in the area is high and the people of this place thrive to get out of their current way of life. The valley of ashes is an area between East and West Egg.

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A symbol in a novel is a concrete object that represents an idea or a set of ideas. Choose 3 symbols in the book and explain what they mean and how they function together to support a central theme. The Great Gatsby novel has various numbers of symbols that are descried and each symbolise very different things. Three symbols that this essay is going to further investigate are the green light, Gatsby’s gold and silver suit and the Valley of Ashes.

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The t wo places west egg east egg and the valley of ashes are different in stature living areas and money. In the novel “the great gatsby” by F Scott Fitzgerald, the living conditions differ tremendously between the eggs and the value of ashes are prosperous one destroyed and harsh and the other lively and beautiful. The eggs represent money weather that be earned or inherited where as the valley of ashes represent the struggle of poverty. The valley of ashes is a harsh place and the complete opposite of the eggs because its all destroyed and run down. In the novel the narrator says “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges hills grotesque gardens;where ashes take forms of houses chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who dimely and already crumbling through the powdery air”, which means the valley of ashes isdestroyed and forgotten and neglected(fitzgerald 23).

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In chapter nine, Nick said, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . and one fine morning - so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald 189). This supports Fitzgerald’s message to the reader about the American Dream because the green light stands for everyone’s hopes and dreams and desires, however, it is unattainable.

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The green light represents Gatsby's longing for the past and his unattainable desire to relive his romantic relationship with Daisy. It symbolizes his pursuit of the American Dream and the utopian vision he has built in his mind. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes evident that Gatsby's obsession with the green light prevents him from moving on with his life. " He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way... Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away" (Fitzgerald 21).

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Fitzgerald uses descriptions and imagery of different coloring and mental pictures to describe the Valley of Ashes. This area is described as very dark and dirty, whereas the eggs are seen to be very bright and full of life. This helped to draw a clear comparison between the areas and to demonstrate to the reader how different these locations were. “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 20). The eyes of the “evil” doctor on the billboard sign in the Valley of Ashes shows how the lower classes are constantly judged by society.

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It was scary and uncertain, but it was all worth chasing after in order to grasp that final result of accomplishment. Nonetheless, according to Fitzgerald, our dreams are constantly in front of us and we continue to chase after them, therefore elucidating the impression that the green light is a symbol of the American dream to which Gatsby is reaching out for. Furthermore, at this point after Gatsby’s death, the light has ceased and completely has disappeared. His goals can no longer be accomplished and there is nothing left for him to reach out for. His desire for greed, the longing for Daisy, and the aspiration for the American Dream has also died with Gatsby alongside

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Throughout many brilliant works of literature, a common item is placed amongst them: symbols. Symbols are often a key to further understanding a point the author is trying to convey to their readers. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, he utilizes the literary tool of symbols to illustrate a larger picture for his themes and characters within the novel. For example, the color green plays a prominent role in The Great Gatsby throughout the duration of the novel. However, the color has can have various interpretations.

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