The Valley Of Ashes - Original Writing

"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." Describing the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, an advertisement in the Valley of Ashes Pg. 27-28

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.

Tom’s infidelity in his marriage clearly expresses his views about his wife, Daisy. In seeking an affair, he conveys that Daisy is deficient and not worthy of devotion. Daisy knows of his affairs, but because of the time period and their social class, she is helpless to do anything. As a woman in the 20th century, it would destroy Daisy to divorce Tom, even though the entirety of New York knows about Tom’s affair.

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.

Before the story is too far, there is already signs of Tom’s supercilious manner when Nick first meets up with him. Nick describes Tom like he “established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward…”(11). This is the first of many signs that show Tom’s supercilious manner and how he acts like he is better than anyone else. After a short time, Tom shows another sign of irreverence. Nick describes Tom’s treatment of others when he states, “After an infinitesimal hesitation, he included Daisy”(18).

It both a representation of Daisy and Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their irises are one yard high. (chapter 2 part 1). Although the lips of the incomplete face are more feminine, the big eyes are a reference to Eckleburg. Through the book the narrator of the story, Nick Carraway mentions the billboard several times. “Then as Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s faded eyes came into sight down the road, I remembered Gatsby’s caution about gasoline”(chapter 7 part 2 ). The big eyes in the middle of the cover both represent Daisy(feminine face), and a reference to the billboard. However the eyes on the cover are golden and yellow instead of blue, since this is also Daisy’s face if would make sense that they are this color, not because of her actual appearance but because of her background. In chapter 1 part 1 Nick says “The Carraways are something of a clan, and we have a tradition that we’re descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch…”. This meaning that Nick’s family,Daisy , came from old money, past down from generation to generation. The golden eyes represent the wealth that surrounds Daisy, Tom, Jordan and even Gatsby throughout the book. “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground”(chapter 2 part 1). The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg represented the eyes of God as well as judgement. They looked upon the ally of ashes as well as the rich around it. The overall book refers to the American Dream , and in this case both sides of it ar represented, the High class and the Lower

Analysis: Fitzgerald uses ashes, fire and dust to represent poverty. Valley of ashes is a place where “ ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys”. Basically it is a place where all of the industrial factories fiery remains fall and leave the territory unsanitary. It is a place for the rich to leave their junk and seek after their American Dream

It’s called the Valley of Ashes because it is a polluted place where all the coal factories and other industries dump their waste. It is also where the lower class lives, including George and Myrtle. The bleakness of the area symbolizes Wilson’s attempt and failure to achieve the American Dream as is suggested in this quote, "Oh, sure," agreed Wilson hurriedly and went toward the little office, mingling immediately with the cement color of the walls. A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity--except his wife, who moved close to

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.

Compare and contrast chapters one and two to answer the question: ’What Tom Buchanan desires the most is something he can control’ To what extent do you agree with this? Throughout Chapter’s one and two of the Great Gatsby we can establish a vivid representation of Tom Buchanan’s character through the eyes of Nick Carroway. Tom demonstrates having an extreme authoritarian personality, he exerts his physical dominance onto other people and tries to control almost anything surrounding him. I mostly agree with this statement that his main determination in life is to achieve all control, however due to Nick’s unfortunate encounters with Tom he has a very biased outlook onto his character therefore naturally perceiving him in this novel very negatively.

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

The story gives us a strong view of the wealthy and luxurious, but we are also given a glimpse of the economic downfall and the hopelessness of the common working man in the era as well. Complying with the theme, a strong symbol for representing the economic hopelessness in the story is the impoverished desolate Valley of Ashes, stuck between East and West Egg. Not only a place of poverty but the residents themselves live hopelessly try to survive. Likewise, this grisly place paints a sad dystopia when first introduced as, “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 rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”(pg). The land is literally covered in ashes representing the hopelessness of how fragmented and decayed everything is. In addition, not only is the area ruined, but the spirit of the residents themselves are crushed from living in such conditions with no hope of escaping such poverty. Those all living in the ashes are the low class, everyday working people with the inability to become wealthy anymore, leaving them financially and spiritually broken. George Wilson, a resident of the Valley of Ashes, is a perfect example of how hopeless the people have become due to their economic status. Running an ash-covered automotive/convenience store, he is described as, “a

Any old trip to the eye doctor’s is usually peaceful and uneventful. The patient walks in, sits in a chair, does some tests, and walks out without a thought. A normal checkup wouldn’t have piercing eyes staring down on the appointment. In the story, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes look down judgtngly on the Valley of Ashes. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes represent the American Dream, a terrible event, and an omnipresent God.

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

If it is remembered that ashes circa the turn of the century often referred to garbage, then it is possible to interpret the "valley of ashes" as a "dumping ground." (23) The ash heaps, then, are piles of garbage, and the repeated references to "waste land," as opposed to "wasteland," now make more sense, as does George Wilson's use of "a piece of waste" to wipe his hands. (24-5) For Fitzgerald, the American dream is to get rich and become socially acceptable; Wilson, who has failed, has "wasted" his life, and is now "down in the dumps." He has been cast away by society, just like the rest of the refuse that surrounds him. This, then, seems to be the fate of middle-class dreams--despite being conceived in a land filled with opportunity, they all end up in the landfill.