Symbols In The Great Gatsby

     Symbolism plays an important role in any novel of literary merit. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays a superior use of symbols such as color, light, and heat. Fitzgerald’s superior use of heat as a symbol is the focus of this essay.

The author uses the Valley of Ashes, a small town between the West Egg and New York City, to symbolize the moral and social decay that stems from the desire to become wealthy. The 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 rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air symbolizes a morally stripped place where materialistic and false people can live in harmony. The unfortunate events that occur in the Valley of Ashes, including Gatsby's death, the affair between Tom and Myrtle and Myrtle's accidental death, represent the severe consequences stemming from the failed attempts at achieving the American Dream. As the characters travel through the Valley of Ashes to reach elsewhere, they are forced to belittle themselves to a lower social status, as seen when Tom engages in an affair with Myrtle, a poor-stricken woman, who solely provides another form of comfort. Serving as a symbol of social and moral destruction, the Valley of Ashes also symbolizes the condition in which the poorer American society lived during the 1920s. The description of the Valley of Ashes used through color symbolism, creates a melancholy atmosphere which allows the reader to connect the importance of the "desolate strip of land" to the negative personality changes, reflective of the 1920s, within the characters.

The valley of ashes separates New york city and the West egg. It is symbolizes absolute poverty and hopelessness. The lower class who live in this region are tied down because they have no money, hope, and neither do they have a bright future ahead of them. This shows how the American dream is impossible to achieve. On a symbolic level the ashes represent the dead. Every generation, the ashes pile up destroying and changing the American dream further. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard. This eyes overlook the valley of ashes. This pair of eyes could symbolize God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland. The chapter never explores this

Objects can represent different things to different people, sometimes they could be as plain as an eraser; which symbolises a fix in a mistake while other times,the object chair can symbolise both comfort and peace. In the book “The Great Gatsby” the author focusses on key symbols that helps him convey his overall message:through eyes of TJ Eckleburg and how his presence influences the people living the valley of ashes,by comparing and contrasting the way an individual lives by comparing people from two different spectrums of society,and finally by using specific striking colours that convey the mood and emotions of the characters throughout the book.

Authors use symbols and motifs to tie in the theme and give depth and meaning to their literature. In The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald, he uses many different symbols and motifs. Symbols that Fitzgerald uses in The Great Gatsby are the green light on Daisy Buchanan’s dock, the valley of ashes, and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Motifs that Fitzgerald uses are the colors yellow and gold, the geography, and the weather. The most important motif in The Great Gatsby is the colors yellow and gold because it represents the theme of the corruption of the American Dream in the 1920’s and represents the negative reality of the world, such as the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg and Gatsby’s car, rather than the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.

The symbolism in The Great Gatsby brings forth a new perspective as to how we perceive the characters and their actions. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, symbolism plays a crucial role in understanding the motives of the characters, and helps the reader better sympathize with them. Although there are numerous important symbols in this story, the most prominent are the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg that looks over the Valley of Ashes, and the Valley of Ashes itself. These symbols and their meanings help better express the theme of the “American Dream” that is strived for, as well as show the ongoing war between love and wealth, and social and moral destruction.

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols to represent the moralizing themes in The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is about the narrator, Nick Carraway, who moves to New York for new beginnings. While there, he gets caught up with this demoralizing set of rich folks. Among those rich folks are Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Jordan Baker. Gatsby seeks help from Nick to help him reconnect with his long lost love, Daisy. This request from Gatsby leads to the next few months being filled with lies, drama, and eventually death. The symbols that F. Scott Fitzgerald use in The Great Gatsby are the build board with the eyes by Dr. TJ. Eckleburg, the green light, and Daisy’s child.

The valley of ashes comes up a few times in the book. Nick is describing this place later when he is writing the book, he says “The ashes cover everything, including the men who live there”. Above this bleak "Valley of Ashes" stare out two huge spectacled eyes from a billboard for an eye doctor's defunct practice”. I believe that the valley of ashes is more of a symbol of the class system of that time. It seemed like you were either rich, or working for the rich. These people live in the valley of ashes are a symbol of the side effects of these incredibly wealthy families lifestyles. Another time the valley of ashes and they doctors eyes show up in the book is when Tom stops for gas. “Over the ashheaps the giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg kept their vigil but I perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away”. This quote is less relating to how the poor are treated by the rich and more of a way to add suspense to what is about to happen. This quote is given to us at the time when wilson is talking to tom about his wife cheating on him with another man. These eyes and this quote is a way of showing how life is catching up with Tom. The eyes have seen his sins and Tom's life is beginning to crumble around

Introduction- The book The Great Gatsby is full of secret symbols. For example, the green light is a clear symbol with daisy. The light is across the water of Gatsby’s back yard to Daisy’s house, representing not only her, but reaching for something that can never be obtained. Daisy can also symbolize a balloon expressed in one chapter as she “floats” down. These symbols really changed the way the book can be perceived.

In 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 Valley of Ashes. Each symbol can have many different meanings, depending on what character and what situation in which the symbol is being presented.

Contrary to the message of hope and opportunity conveyed by the color green is the valley of ashes. The valley of ashes represents the byproduct of a nation obsessed with money. It is filled with the gray industrial ashes of the factories that helped to catapult dreamers to the top of the world. It also symbolizes the lower class. The people living in the towns nearby are described as gray and solemn. They are washed up because they were unable to accomplish their goals and fulfill the American dream. Wilson, for example, is described as someone with "an ashen, dust veiled suit" and "pale hair."  The ash heap is described as a place "where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills." As those ashes pile up, they bury the hopes of people seeking the American dream.

F. Scott Fitzgerald used a lot of symbolism in the Great Gatsby. Names, colors, seasons and even the weather have something to do with symbolism. THis topic will be about explaining and evaluating symbolism in the book.

Many different symbols can be found in The Great Gatsby, but the symbol I chose to examine is the green light. Located at the end of East Eggs dock a green light can be seen from the shores of West egg. This green light, to Gatsby, symbolizes his hopes and desires to one day reconnect with his love Daisy. The first interaction seen with this green light and Gatsby is at the very end of chapter 1, “—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling” (20). It can be inferred that the trembling may be him crying. The trembling and outstretched arms show how much he longs for Daisy, his dream is to be with her. Later in the book we find how deeply his obsession

The valley of ashes seems to be a desolate wasteland that people in poverty live. The most symbolic parts are the eyes on the billboard I believe George describes as the “eyes of God.” Along with that the valley representing poverty which until this point in the book isn't seen yet.

A Gloomy Look on the American Dream: Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Opportunity is the deciding factor to whether the American dream is attainable for many individuals. This world is not always fair, and opportunities are not spread equally, so how could the American dream possibly be achievable for everyone? Gatsby, the main character in the novel, The Great Gatsby, is on a quest for the American Dream. The “American Dream” in the 1920's, was to start from the bottom and work up to wealth. Gatsby had left the wealthy, pure Daisy many years ago and is attempting to win her back, to bring him closer to wealth.