What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, many symbols and themes are implemented throughout the story. These symbols help portray ideas to the reader. One of the symbols that Fitzgerald uses is the valley of ashes. This symbol stands for the underclass who work so the rich can prosper. Many of the people that live there are factory workers. Their work provides wealth to residents of West Egg. The valley is full of loss dreams and hopelessness. The lower class that live here also influence the underground criminal activity in the city. Another symbol Fitzgerald writes about is the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. In the story the light is a permanently lit lamp that is on the end of Tom and Daisy’s dock. The light warns boats at

This symbol mainly relates to Gatsby and Daisy’s love. The third symbol is Gatsby’s dream of spending eternity with Daisy; also his dream consisted of the American Dream. Throughout the novel Gatsby feels like he his not wealthy enough to win over the heart of Daisy. He sets out to acquire an enormous amount of wealth so he could steal Daisy away from Tom. Daisy eventually notices his wealth even mentioning once that it makes her cry. At the end of the book Daisy admits she still loves Tom, and this makes Gatsby’s dream fall down. I believe that even though Gatsby has enormous wealth he still feels empty and that his hopes and dreams will never come true. The next symbol is eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. This is a billboard that hangs in the city that has no face but just eyes. The narrator, Nick, feels like the eyes are watching him like he watches everyone else. The billboard represents a higher being watching over the city. It sees all the bad things that goes on in the city. It watches as Daisy kills Myrtle and the poor that work everyday for the rich. Although it’s not a living object the billboard still symbolizes a god that sees