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Why Is Eckleburg's Eyes Important In The Great Gatsby

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"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 23). These eyes are more than what they appear to be. They are mounted on a billboard that watches over the Valley of Ashes, which stands between West Egg and New York City. This location is what makes Dr. T.J Eckleburg's eyes so significant and important to the book because the idea of watching over a grey and decayed society is how it relates to today. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of the popular 1920’s novel, The Great Gatsby, only mentions the eyes twice throughout the entire story, which leaves an impression that is key to understanding the novel. Dr. T.J Eckleburg's eyes are …show more content…

George Wilson is clueless about the affair his wife Myrtle is having. But, later in the book, George starts to suspect something is going on, and he confronts Myrtle about it. George gets frustrated and says "I spoke to her", he muttered, after a long silence. " I told her she might fool me but she couldn't fool God"..."God knows what you've been doing." Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of T.J Eckleburg." (Fitzgerald 159). George connects God to the eyes of T.J Eckleburg, and when he realizes that someone else has witnessed the truth behind all the lingering lies Myrtle has told, it gave him motivation to do something about it. He jumped to a dramatic conclusion and decided to murder Gatsby; the man he believes was having the affair with Myrtle. He then turns the gun around on himself and takes his own life. Through Doctor T.J Eckleburg's eyes, we see the breaking down of George and Myrtle’s relationship and the the carelessness of American society as the not so perfect traits of the Valley of Ashes start to show …show more content…

T.J Eckleburg's eyes are so important and relatable because that's how Fitzgerald meant for it to turn out. Fitzgerald wrote his book, in hopes to spread his predictions on the future of the US society. He believed the 1920’s were a great time, full of hopes and promises of the American Dream, but he knew it wouldn't last forever. Our world, is the new world of cars and cities and broken dreams. Not only did the American Dream apply to people in the 1920’s, but also people in today's society. In the novel, Gatsby can be seen to be living the American Dream, with his gigantic mansion, fancy cars, and the hosting of crazy parties. Gatsby puts enormous amounts of money into these parties to buy the happiness of Daisy Buchanan, his love from the past. Even though he doesn't enjoy his parties, he believes all the glitz and glamor, will ultimately bring Daisy to love him again. This can be seen in today's society of the idea that “money buys happiness”. Materialism was just as big back then, than it is now. All people wanted was to have a boatload of money in order to be happier and that same scenario still applies to today. Fitzgerald includes the billboard of Doctor T.J Eckleburg to watch over this changing generation and gets a glimpse of what the future has in

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