The Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg in The Great Gatsby Essay

These quotes describe two of maybe three important symbols in the book. The Valley of Ashes signifies the open road ahead which civilization is going for, yet the ashes symbolize the decay of society, where the pursuit for wealth leaves behind a mark. This mark could be considered a mark of poorness that the non-pursuers have to deal with. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg signify the watchful eyes of God upon what America did in the 1920s. The American's blindness of the time resulted in industrial problems throughout the country.

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.

The eyes of T.J. Eckleberg and and Owl Eyes are used throughout the story and are both recurring. Owl Eyes is a very minor character in the grand scheme of things, but his eyes are one of the most important pairs. Before the novel has taken full flight, Jordan and Nick come across a strange man in Gatsby’s library who is amazed that Gatsby owns all of the books. “‘What do you think?’ he demanded impetuously. ‘About what?’ He waved his hand toward the book-shelves. ‘About that. As a matter of fact you needn’t bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They’re real.’ ‘The books?’ He nodded” (Fitzgerald 45). Owl Eyes questions the accountability of Gatsby, because there are a very large number of rumors of things that Gatsby has accomplished and done. It may come across as odd that somebody would question the accountability of a wealthy man during this era, but there was a mystery behind Gatsby because so few people were actually able to meet him at the parties. Not only was

While reading The Great Gatsby, we see a symbol of God in the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg and the character of Owl Eyes. Dr. Eckleburg represents an all-seeing, uninvolved God who sees the immoral actions, but does not interfere. In a conversation with Michaelis, Wilson says, “‘I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the winds’ - with an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it - ‘and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’’ Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night” (Fitzgerald 167). Wilson believes that the one person who has the right to judge is God and He is watching.

One of the most significant associations between religion and this world renown novel is the connection between the ‘eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’ and God himself. The ‘eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’ are first introduced in chapter two, and the literal presentation of this symbol is that it is a billboard of an oculist (eye doctor), and its purpose is to serve as an advertisement to this doctor's business, “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) In chapter eight, Mr. Wilson is talking to his neighbor, Michaelis, about the events that occurred right before Myrtle's death, ““I spoke to her," he muttered, after a long silence. "I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window"..."and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’" Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg.” (Fitzgerald 160) Wilson had found out that Myrtle has been having an affair with another man, (Tom) and explains that the eyes on

T.J. Eckleburg. During the second time seeing the eyes, they are presented as a warning for Nick. This is seen when the group is on their way to Manhattan and they stop for gas and the narrator says, “Then as Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's faded eyes came into sight down the road, I remembered Gatsby's caution about gasoline” (Fitzgerald, 99). In this they end up stopping at Wilsons garage to fill up on gas and he talks about how he has found out that Myrtle is having an affair. Myrtle sees Tom in the yellow car and assumes it is his, so the next time she sees it she goes to run out to it to stop it but gets hit and dies. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are believed to be the eyes of God or watchful presence by some of the characters. This is seen when Wilson is looking out his window to the billboard and says to Michaelis, “God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me but you can't fool God!” (Fitzgerald, 131). It means Myrtles lies could have gone past him without any consequences but when “God” figured this out she could not have gone unpunished which is the reason Wilson believes she was murdered. Therefore, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg bring out a deeper meaning throughout The Great

As the decision was being made, God assists as a guidance. The second appearance of the eye motif serves as a warning to Nick, of all the moral consequences he will face for being dishonest. When Tom insists on driving Gatsby’s cream-colored car, Gatsby has no choice but to reluctantly agree and remind him of the necessary gas refill. Tom, being supercilious and disdainful, does not take his reminder seriously. The ride to the city is nearly silent, but “[t]hen as Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s faded eyes came into sight down the road, [Nick] remembered Gatsby’s caution about gasoline” (Fitzgerald

Dr. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes stood on a billboard right above the Valley of Ashes,serving as a godly figure watching over the society. The billboard was created as an advertisement for an eye doctor while symbolizing God’s surveillance over the people in the book. These eyes are vividly described as “[. . .] blue and gigantic-their retinas are one yard high. The look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose...his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground [. . .]” (23). Fitzgerald portrays the large blue eyes, resembling God’s eyes, as being shaded by the yellow spectacles. The color yellow is seen throughout the novel, representing turmoil and corruption (Gatsby’s car). The color blue, showing the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, are disrupted by the yellow spectacles, left to see the corrupted society go astray.

In the novel, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are represented as the eyes of God that is occurring in different parts of the book. all of the In Chapter 8, George Wilson is in an argument with Myrtle, and scolds her

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.

It is clear in Fitzgerald’s description that the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg are displeased upon looking at the remains of the dumping ground. This displeasement could be representative of God’s own displeasement when looking down at the deceit of people such as Tom, who literally cheats on his wife under the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg. Later on when heading towards New York with Tom and Jordan, Nick describes T. J. Eckleburg as keeping vigil, “ ...locality...was vaguely disquieting...over the ashheaps the giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg kept their vigil…” (131). It appears as if T. J. Eckleburg is warning Nick of what is to come in the not so distant future. He keeps watch over them in a knowingly way awaiting the weight of their actions to fall upon them.

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