What Is The Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby - 1311 Words

In the fiction novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the story is told from the first person point of view through Nick Carraway, retelling the accounts of our protagonist, Jay Gatsby. Throughout this piece, Jay Gatsby strives to be with his so-called true love, Daisy, but soon finds out that she married another man, which creates conflict between many of the characters. The Great Gatsby has an abundance of symbols throughout the entire text, including the Valley of Ashes representing the moral and social decay of society in the 1920s, the green light symbolizing Gatsby s desire to have Daisy as well as the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg representing God piercing down upon and judging the American society of this era. One†¦show more content†¦To explain not only do they live in an atmosphere full of ash, but it is turning regular humans into â€Å"ash-grey men† who â€Å"swarm† like insects around the factories and cargo trains (that’s the â€Å"l ine of grey cars†). These are the people who do not get to enjoy either the luxury of life out on Long Island or the faster-paced anonymous fun that Nick finds himself enjoying in Manhattan. In the novel’s world of haves and have-nots, these are the have-nots. In conclusion, the Valley of Ashes shows the social decay that results from the wealthy indulging people of West and East Egg taking advantage society and leaving the poor have to live among the ashes. Another major symbol in the great gatsby that relates to the social decay of society is the green light, which represents gatsby s hopes and dreams for his future which is associated with daisy. But it doesn t just relate to the social decay, but also the way on how corrupt minds view the American dream and what it should be. Gatsby is hoping that his dream can become a reality so he can stop being lonely and finally fill that missing piece of his life. He looks at this light every night, â€Å"he stretched out hi s arms toward the dark water in a curious way† as he looks at the light he imagines himself in a happy home with daisy and everything is great in his mind which is what he wants.Show MoreRelatedThe Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby Analysis1569 Words   |  7 Pages In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,the author uses The Valley of Ashes as a symbol of the tragedy of the middle class, death, and hell in order to show that the poor citizens of America live a tragic life. The reader is first introduced to the dirty, impoverished Valley of Ashes when Tom Buchanan brings the narrator Nick Carraway to meet his mistress, and is later used as a setting of tragedy. Nick first arrives in the Valley of Ashes when Tom forces him to meet Myrtle, his mistressRead MoreSymbolism And Symbolism Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald993 Words   |  4 PagesConte Roe H English 10 December 2012 In every piece of great literature authors use symbols to convey a feeling or thought. The novel, For example, Lord the Flies, William Golding memorably uses a conch shell to represent order and the destruction of order. Or in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the physical and metaphoric sense of the mockingbird to convey the idea of innocence and the loss of innocence. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald employs the use of symbols to enhance aRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1248 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, symbolism plays a major role in the continuation of the plot. Symbolism in this novel uncovers emotional backstories of the main characters, shows why the characters make the choices they do, and the difference of the meaning of certain objects in the novel. Although there are many different symbols in The Great Gatsby, the ones that stick out the most are the green light, the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, and the Valle y of Ashes. Each symbol can have many differentRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1318 Words   |  6 PagesFitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. There are many symbols used in the book The Great Gatsby such as the green light, the valley of ashes, and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The green light represents Jay Gatsby’s hopes, as well as his dreams, for the future. Because many people strive to become rich in The Great Gatsby, the result is moral and social decay. The valley of ashes represents social and moral decay, and it also represents the predicament of poor because the poor live in the filthy ashes and loseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Waste Land Essay1714 Words   |  7 PagesEnvoking T.S. Eliot’s poem â€Å"The Waste Land†, the â€Å"Valley of Ashes† depicted in The Great Gatsby serves a multitude of symbolic functions. It primarily provides significant contrast to East and West Egg. This contrast is not simplistic, as Fitzgerald guides the reader into understanding that the areas are inextricably linked in terms of the American dream and moral corruption. Furthermore, the Valley of Ashes is a physical manifestation of the theme of death and mortality constantly being threadedRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay983 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great Gatsby portrays the general feeling of the 1920’s through complex characters such as Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald uses symbols such as the billboard, the green light, and the valley of ashes to convey themes and propel the plot forward. T.J Eckleburg’s giant eyed billboard is an essential symbol in The Great Gatsby. Eckleburg’s watchful eyes are a representation of God that observe the people who live in East and West Egg and the valley of ashes. TheyRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby974 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty in the Valley of Ashes: The Great Gatsby â€Å"This is a 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 raising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air† (Fitzgerald 26). In the novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby,† the author F. Scott Fitzgerald, mainly depicted lives of the rich and their luxuries but also showed theRead More The Great Gatsby and the Valley of Ashes Essay1149 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby and the Valley of Ashes    Many times we hear of societys affect on people; society influencing the way people think and act.   Hardly mentioned is the reverse: peoples actions and lifestyles affecting society as a whole and how it is characterized.   Thus, society is a reflection of its inhabitants and in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it is a wasteland described as the valley of ashes.   Since the characters of this novel make up this wasteland, arent they theRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald970 Words   |  4 Pages The Great Gatsby the American Dream The story The Great Gatsby occurs within the limits of Long Island, New York in the summer of 1922. The era of perished moral values, distrust, greediness, and an unfilled search of happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald (author of this novel) introduces many different characters who, ultimately, were in search of the American Dream. Nick Carraway, the narrator goes to New York in hopes of learning about the bond business. Nick wishes to one day achieve the AmericanRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald957 Words   |  4 PagesThe story The Great Gatsby occurs within the limits of Long Island, New York, in the summer of 1922. 1922 was the era of perished moral values, distrust, greediness, and an unfilled search of happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald author of this novel introduces many characters who, ultimately, are in search of the American Dream. Nick Carraway, the narrator, goes to New York in hopes of learning about the bond business. Nick hopes that one day become rich. He lives in West Egg were the â€Å"new rich† reside