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What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby is a story that portrays the love between Jay Gatsby & Daisy, but however the main theme of the novel has many borders and surrounds much larger meanings than just romance. Even though the story mostly takes place in Long Island, New York The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic mirror of the 1920’s America as a whole.
The valley of ashes has many relevant symbols all throughout the story, but the city may be different on how other readers may picture it. The valley of ashes represents Poverty and Hopelessness. The valley of ashes was first introduced to us in chapter 2, it is the valley between West Egg and New York City & it consists of long stretch of ravage land created by the dumping of industrial ashes. The American dream is falling apart rapidly, mostly everyone in the city of New York is living in poverty & …show more content…

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. 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." Chapter

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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

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462 Words | 2 Pages

This green light also corresponded with daisy and how she was so close to him and how all he had to do was cross the water. The green light also guided him toward his goals and also caused his demise. The valley of the ashes is the area between West Egg and New York. In this part of New York it is dirty and poor and is filled with ash from all of the industries. This symbolizes the leftover of the

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Symbolism is a very important factor in The Great Gatsby. It adds significant depth to the novel especially through the symbols of the valley of ashes, the green light on Daisy’s dock, and Dr. T. J. Eckleburg’s eyes. The valley of ashes is a long piece of land between West Egg and New York City that consists of industrial ashes. The ashes represent the moral decay that develops from the desire of wealth among the people. In addition, the valley also symbolizes the troubles of the poor who live in the dirty ashes that lose their spirit as a result from living there.

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858 Words | 4 Pages

There are numerous repetitive symbols that are used in The Great Gatsby to bind the theme and plot together. Dr. T.J Eckleburg's eyes, The valley of ashes, and the Green Light are a few examples of repetitive symbols that are used in this novel. Fitzgerald uses Dr. T.J Eckleburg's eyes to represent the eyes of God and the judgment on the amoral American lifestyle which ties into the valley of ashes. The valley of ashes represents moral and social decay as a consequence of the pursuit of wealth, and the dangers of the rich indulging themselves with selfish pleasure without regard for anyone or any things well-being. Though these symbols are a major segment of the book, they are not as crucial to the story as the Green Light, which is an illustration

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822 Words | 4 Pages

This portrayal by F. Scott Fitzgerald reflects current global challenges. The Valley of Ashes exists in The Great Gatsby because it represents the moral decay caused by extreme wealth inequality. It also shows the decay of the American Dream. When people think of the ideal American Dream, they wouldn't think of The Valley of Ashes or the refineries in Salt Lake City. They wouldn't think of

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510 Words | 3 Pages

The green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams associated with his love interest Daisy. Hence, the location of the green light. At one point he even reaches into the darkness, towards the light that he hopes will lead him to his goal. Another smaller representation of the green light can be found In Chapter 9 when Nick compares the green light to how America,becoming visible on the horizon, must have looked to early settlers of

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843 Words | 4 Pages

The valley of ashes is located halfway between West Egg and New York City. The valley of ashes is described in the novel as "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque; where ashes take 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."  The valley of ashes symbolizes poverty and the immoral behavior of the 1920s that was pushed aside by everything great with East Egg and West Egg. The people who live here seem to have nothing in their forward that is good and barely have any lives now. Myrtle Wilson’s death happens in the valley of ashes which is caused by the immoral acts of mostly Tom Buchanan.

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807 Words | 4 Pages

The valley of ashes can be described  as “A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat  into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens;... of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air (23).” The barrenness of this place shows the failure of the American dream. The people who live in the valley of ashes all want to leave, but have no way of doing so. Two characters George and Myrtle Wilson live here in their car garage. Neither of the characters are happy with their life.

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The audience is positioned to view the Valley of Ashes as a direct relationship to the death of dreams, in which the lower-class people who live there have no hope for attaining the American Dream. Furthermore, Gatsby is originally in love with Daisy, but due to his low social status, she leaves him for a wealthier man. This motivates Gatsby to push through the societal barriers of the lower-class as he attains wealth through bootlegging. Using his wealth, Gatsby purchases an elaborate mansion

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We also learn about Nick from his descriptions. To conclude the feel of this novel, Fitzgerald introduces the theme of the pursuit of wealth so early in the story because it’s important to understand how it connects with the American Dream. The valley of ashes is a desolate land between West Egg and New York City that consists of dumping of industrial ashes. This place is literal and symbolic in one, it symbolizes poverty and hopelesness in such a way. These characters are helpless, they are suffering just like the environmental is.

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196 Words | 1 Pages

Fitzgerald goes into detail in invoking the grotesque scene of America into the mind of the reader. By putting forth the metaphor that “this is a valley of ashes- a fantastic farm” (2), he besets the idea of this is where the detestable conditions spout. The valley of ashes is simply the wasteland of American industry; accordingly, it may sound odd to describe a wasteland as a farm. Any discrepancies of that disappear on further analysis of the comparison, however. Clarity and obviousness arise as you consider the meaning of the statement.

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1344 Words | 6 Pages

The Great Gatsby is filled with lively parties and opulent lifestyles which sweep the reader off their feet and distract the imagination with dreams of luxury, however, the book also holds a valley of despair and misery which serves to show the downfalls of capitalism. Throughout the story, we see the lives of the wealthy, with their extravagant parties, excessive consumerism, and unbelievable luxury, but we also see the lives of the poor, who live in a gray and desolate slum known as the Valley of Ashes, and are forced to pay the cost of the American dream experienced by others. The Valley of Ashes is a dumping ground for the burnt coal used to fuel the city, making it an area where the misery can be directly attributed to the lifestyles of

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924 Words | 4 Pages

The valley of ashes also symbolizes the difficulties of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result. THE EYES OF DOCTOR T. J. ECKLEBURG Another dominant symbol within this novel is the billboard eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg which is in the middle of the valley of ashes, right next to Wilson’s garage staring at the waste that careless capitalism has

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2235 Words | 9 Pages

Gatsby’s love story is more pitiable than sad because he is always trying to reach for something he shall never have. Thus, he left this world without attaining true happiness, and his American dream. Nevertheless, Gatsby wasn’t the only character that was not able to achieve his American dream, but also the people of the Valley of Ashes, a group of people who are forgotten by the rich. The Valley of Ashes is first mentioned in chapter two when Nick and Tom Buchanan go there to meet up with Tom's mistress. Nick describes the place 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.’

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815 Words | 4 Pages

The valley of Ashes was a small industrial town that was on the way to the city the represents the working class. The valley of ashes can also symbols death. The valley of ashes was just what it sounds, it is very dirty and has “ashes” all over. This is showing what life is like as part of the working class. When F. Scott Fitzgerald introduced the valley of ashes as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hill” (Fitzgerald 23) this puts an image of wheat and then you can make that into ashes, that can help you envision what it is like as a member of the working class.

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