Symbols in the Great Gatsby

John Richardson
2* Carrel
5 May 2014
The Great Gatsby

In the Great Gatsby, there are many symbols. Some are more obvious than others. The more obvious include, first, The Valley of Ashes, a large piece of land where trains dump their burnt coal and the lower class workers find their jobs. Next, are the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Last, is the green light at the dock of the Buchanan’s residence. Each of these objects and places represent several different things, occurring multiple times throughout the novel. Each symbol has an impact on the plot and the characters.

The Valley Of Ashes symbolizes destruction. All of the houses in the valley are run down, dirty and small. The Thick Cloud of smoke and ashes and powdery air covers the houses and the workers. Everyone who lives near or next to the Valley is poor. “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. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight.” It also symbolizes death. Myrtle is killed right outside of her house.

Another symbol in the story are The Eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading and bespectacled eyes on a billboard over the valley of ashes. They symbolize the eyes of God. They can also represent Nick’s because he is the only character that knows what is going on. “But 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. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic- their retinas are...