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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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258 Words | 2 Pages

Following her recent death, Mrs. Wilson has been identified as Mr. Gatsby’s ‘Mystery Mistress’ who has been spotted many times inside his large mansion in West Egg. George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband has said that he knew she was having an affair, but with whom he did not know. In light of recent events, he had the following to say; “I loved Myrtle. We were planning

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752 Words | 4 Pages

Another place this poster shows up is after George finds out Myrtle has been cheating, and then she got hit by Gatsby’s car. To show that she got what she deserved, George said, “ God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God! “ ( Fitzgerald 159 ).

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Although George knows about his wife’s indecencies, it seems as though he had already given up when he says, “I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God... God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing” (159). Since Myrtle has been lying for so long, George has accepted it because deep down he knows he cannot control her. Though Myrtle’s rebellion, George still cares for Myrtle when Fitzgerald explains his suicide, “It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete” (162). He killed himself because he could not deal with the pain of losing Myrtle.

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1062 Words | 5 Pages

Eckleberg's eyes watch over an industrial dumping ground from a washed out billboard across from Wilson's garage. They are described by Nick as being, “blue and gigantic-their retinas are one yard high. . . But his eyes, dimmed by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood over the solemn dumping ground”(Fitzgerald 23, 24). From the beginning of the book, the eyes are personified as a disapproving observer. This personification, is what allows the billboard to take on a heightened meaning.

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851 Words | 4 Pages

T.J. Eckleburg, whose face is meant for an advertisement for an eye doctor or optometrist. However, it is important to note that this billboard is placed in the valley of ashes, an area that is described as poor, desolate, and dirty. The use of the descriptive word gigantic, expresses the idea of one “having an eye on you.” The sinking of “eternal blindness” that is conveyed in the passage adds to the illusion that the eyes ---. Finally in the last sentence the idea is represented that the eyes have been there for a while, but no longer care about what they see.

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842 Words | 4 Pages

By convincing himself that Myrtle Wilson was killed by her secret lover, George Wilson uses the tragedy as an opening to decompress everything he had been bottling up within himself. Michaelis assures George Wilson after he finds out the news that Myrtle Wilson was killed by saying, “this has been a strain to you and you don’t know what you’re saying”, but unfortunately, George Wilson ignores him (Fitzgerald 166). Later, George Wilson continues to rant about how “God knows” what Myrtle Wilson was doing, and to Michaelis’s surprise, George Wilson is staring at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg (Fitzgerald 167). While it may seem humorous that George Wilson is so faithful to the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, the same foolishness can be seen in society during the 1920s because “business had become…the national religion of America” (Allen Doc E). For that reason, Fitzgerald uses George Wilson’s disillusionment towards his wife as a parallel to the business world during the

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The Great Gatsby shows Fitzgerald’s view and portrayal of the effect of money on people’s lives. Fitzgerald implies that being wealthy can lead to many great things but that money is everything but happiness and even with Gatsby’s wealth and imaginative mind, he still can not satisfy the image of Daisy since she nor any other women could ever be the girl who he desires. (Durkin). Gatsby wishes that his wealth would bring him the happiness and satisfaction he desires but instead brings him to his deathbed.

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It has long been said that money can’t buy happiness, but still people continue to use it’s acquisition to try to make themselves happy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the title character struggles with this realization. The book is set in New York during the ‘Roaring 20’s’, a time famous for its parties and lavishness. The book examines the attitudes toward money within the upper particularly through the lense of the new-money title character, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby dedicated his life to the acquisition of money with the goal of eventually acquiring the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan.

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680 Words | 3 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is written as a mockery of American ideals, and emphasizes materialism, sexual immorality, and selfishness. Though it appears at first glance to be a love story about Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, The Great Gatsby is actually a satirical take on American culture, especially in the 1920s. In the 1920s, known as the “Roaring Twenties”, America’s economy was booming, jazz was immensely popular, and alcohol had been banned. Organized crime ran rampant, and Americans seemed to lose their moral values.

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J. Eckleburg remnants symbolize past and present, Valley of Ashes used to be flourishing and full of business. It also leaves readers confused with how such a billboard can be so bright in such a dusty dark place. Fitzgerald says, “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic - their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (Fitzgerald ch.2). Later in Gatsby, Wilson (Myrtle’s Husband) says T.J eyes resemble those of gods (he sees everything).

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Fitzgerald uses his images of

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Also when Myrtle is hit by the car that he thinks is Tom’s, he shows up to Tom’s house with a gun. When Tom points George in the direction of Gatsby, George kills Gatsby and then himself. “It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete” (Fitzgerald

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864 Words | 4 Pages

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man 's needs, but not every man 's greed.” As humans, we work hard in order to have the greatest opportunity to succeed in life, which will fulfill our wants. F Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, utilizes effective language and punctuation in the text, which helps him accomplish his purpose: Illustrate what material goods does to a society. From a rhetorical standpoint, examining logos, ethos, and pathos, this novel serves as a social commentary on how the pursuit of “The American Dream” causes the people in society to transform into greedy and heartless individuals.

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1108 Words | 5 Pages

Artwork is everywhere we look and everywhere we go. Art is considered one of the most influential commodities in this world. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, is considered a piece of influential American art. Paintings and other works of art often times tie in with books. In terms of The Great Gatsby, El Greco, a revolutionary artist, drew a painting of Toledo that connects with the book.

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925 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby is not the only one with twisted views as a result of unfaithfulness. Myrtle, George’s wife, is cheating on George with Tom in the book made clear here, “Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He 's so dumb he doesn 't know he 's alive" (26). George suspects the cheating, but never truly discovers what is going on before she dies.

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