The Eyes Of Doctor Eckleburg Analysis

Fitzgerald shows his overall perception of society, he refers to the minds of the average person trying to make it. Fitzgerald uses the “Eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg,” he uses the eyes to represent the lose of spiritual values throughout society. Many people in this time period (1920’s) believed money was to their key to everything in life. “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.” Nick (Narrator) uses this to describe the absent values of that he has seen in his time in New York. God seems to have abandoned America, leaving only Dr. T.J. Eckleburg behind to stare down with his empty eyes on people who have abandoned their spiritual values in the quest to achieve material wealth. We see this as well when our main characters pass underneath it. The eyes more so symbolizes the corruption of the people throughout America, and as our characters pass underneath it, you see the blank stare it provides. It sheds light on the affairs of Tom, Daisy etc, and it seems to frown upon the characters. One comparison could be that it is the eyes of god. Moving forward the reader should take away that regardless of what you believe may be the only way, there will always be other ways. Money is not always the way, happiness can be found many

The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, symbolic of a higher power, loom over the Valley of Ashes, ever-present and watchful, passing judgment on not only the immorality of individual characters, but also on the East as a whole. When Nick first notices the painted eyes, he comments, “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.

The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg can be seen as if someone is looking over you which is described as, “above the grey 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). You can see his eyes in the sky and above land. His eyes are gigantic and he does not have a nose. The eyes do not look out of a face, but out of glasses. T.J. Eckleburg's eyes can be symbolic to God. They are always looking over you like God is. His eyes see everything, as you are constantly being watched. When you look out you can see Eckleburg's eyes just like how you know God is the man above you. Eckleburg's eyes are symbolic to God watching over you.

From the pessimistic introduction, it foreshadows a later downfall. Starting from the first encounter, Nick has an indescribable feeling derived from the cogent stare. For example, as Nick and Tom slowly “walked back a hundred yards along the road under Doctor Eckleburg 's persistent stare” (Fitzgerald 24), Nick feels uneasy about the inanimate billboard even though no one is staring at them. The location of the eyes, on the road half way between West Egg and New York, symbolizes the different paths of life. When one arrives at the turning point, they have their power to choose their path, but God will watch you as you make those decisions. Nick, for instance, faces the decision of whether to inform Daisy about Tom’s not so secretive affair or dissimulate the unfaithful relationship after the visit to Tom and Myrtle 's secret apartment.

These eyes, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, represent many things to the characters in this novel. He represents, hope, despair, and God, all while staring

Symbolism: When the author introduces the gas station and the billboard of Doctor Eckleburg’s eyes, he describes the scene as dark, dirty, and as a valley of ashes. Doctor Eckleburg could symbolize that god is watching while the fact that the area around the gas station is dirty and murky could represent sin. The whole area could represent

This is because yellow is a symbol of gold, or wealth, and Eckleburg looks through it. Eckleburg having no face represents the emptiness, or hollowness of people and how their values are shallow. Billboards usually have advertisements in order to sell something. Since Eckleburg is on a billboard, it indicates how the American dream for people in the 1920’s is materialistic.

Another symbol used in The Great Gatsby is the Valley of Ashes. The Valley of Ashes is located between West Egg and New York City, and all it is, is land with the dumping of industrial ashes all over it. It represents the moral and social decay that results from wealth, as the rich enjoy nothing but their own pleasure. It also symbolizes the poor who live among the dirty ashes and lose their strength as a result. “This is a valley of ashes-a fantastic farm where ashes grown 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 powder air.”(27) Looking over the valley of ashes are the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. “The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic…they look out of no face, but instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles.”(27) The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg could represent God staring down on the American society. They’re just a pair of fading eyes painted on an old billboard over the valley of ashes. Fitzgerald uses the eyes to suggest symbols only mean something because of the characters put meaning in them. George Wilson makes the connection of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes symbolizing God. They could also represent the meaninglessness of the

Among the ash heaps, the dark bridge, and the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg, there is no greater sense of religion. In this purgatory of New York, however, where sins bite and consciences nag, "the giant eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg [keep] their vigil" (131). He watches, as God does, as the worlds of George Wilson and Myrtle, Gatsby, Daisy and Tom collide and dissolve, leaving the tangled mess that had arisen shattered and dead among the debris of his universe.

Afterwards, Wilson states, “God knows… everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” Wilson then looks up at the enormous eyes of Dr T. J. Eckleburg, painted on a billboard in the ‘Valley of Ashes’, an example of the technique of symbolism. These eyes represent the vision of God- all seeing and continually judging the corrupt lifestyle of Americans. Equivalently, the broken-down town and underprivileged community within the ‘valley of ashes’, are symbolic of the manner in which upper-class society has morally broken down. Through this technique, Fitzgerald has created a representation of his own distinct values against the social decline of morals within his own context and is persuading responders of all eras to accept this view.

The eyes of T.J Eckleburg In the Book "the Great Gatsby" it becomes apparent that the billboard with the eyes of doctor T.J.Eckleburg are important. The eyes of T.J.Eckleburg represent god judging and watching the American people during the sweeping changes during the 1920, this is shown by the growth in the industrial sector, growth in commercialism and corruption. The eyes are shown throughout the book which shows us that Fitzgerald wants us to know they play an important role, which they do. Their location also tells us a lot, they are located on a billboard in what Nick calls the "valley of ashes.

Another major symbol in this novel is the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. These are a pair of spectacles painted on an old billboard in the Valley of Ashes. The significant aspect is that this symbol only has meaning when other characters instill it with meaning. The eyes represent a higher power looking over the

The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg are big and blue and from the glasses he wears they seem as if they are almost blind. “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their irises 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. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away” (Fitzgerald). The description of the Docs eyes is pretty creepy leaving his appearance quit mysterious.

There are other billboards along this stretch of road which espouse the same faith-driven message as this billboard, and they are interspersed between other billboards which say “$TRIPPER$ … NEED WE SAY MORE” (pictured on the bottom left). These billboards for a nearby strip club specifically cater to truck drivers, mentioning truck parking and free coffee for those with a CDL (commercial driver’s license). The billboard created by Green Acres Baptist Church (and others like it) seems to be in competition with billboards for strippers and “Adult Toy Stores,” which may point to their emphasis on the somewhat gruesome image of Jesus’ blood in bright red letters. This appears to spread a message of guilt and perhaps even fear to any who may be persuaded by more sinful advertising. The juxtaposition of these very different billboards may be funny to some (myself included), but it can also possibly serve to drive others towards the salvation of the church, or at least this appears to be the goal of the advertisement pictured to the left and others like it. I would question how effectively it serves this purpose, as its strong emphasis on Jesus as being the ONLY path to salvation may be offputting to

This photograph really gets my attention due to the great irony illustrated in it. When looking at this picture I first take notice to the huge billboard at the back of the setting in