Doctor Eckleburg of The Great Gatsby
Reading through the novel The Great Gatsby, it becomes evident that Dr. Eckelberg symbolizes God and oversees events that occur. The characters in the novel refer to "the eyes of Dr. Eckelberg" often. Doctor T.J. Eckleburg symbolizes three things. He symbolizes the corruption of society; his eyes represent the eyes of an omnipotent God, and he implies carelessness and mistreatment.
"The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic-their retinas 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." This is a quote from Nick Carraway, the central figure of the story and the voice of Jay Gatsby. Dr. Eckelburg is introduced at this point. He takes on an image of a human figure, which he is characterized as at many times throughout the novel, and that of a Godlike figure.
Doctor Eckleburg's eyes were referred to once again by Nick when he was driving in his car with Tom, Gatsby, and Daisy on a trip to New York City. "We were all irritable now with the fading ale and, aware of it, we drove for a while in silence. Then as Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's faded eyes came into sight down the road I remembered Gatsby's caution about gasoline." On the way to New York they remember that they need to refuel gasoline. It is at the gas station that it is learned that Wilson plans on moving his wife Myrtle out west due to the fact that he discovers Myrtles disloyalty. Nick senses an infidelity between Daisy and Tom Buchanan also. On the trip back from New York Gatsby and Daisy are driving together, and they accidentally run into Daisy. Tom suspects that Gatsby was the one that was driving; however it was really Daisy. The quote used to describe Dr. Eckelburg's eyes was an example of the symbolism of carelessness and corruption of society.
Mr. Wilson is the only person that associates Dr. T.J. Eckleburg with God. "Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night." " 'God sees everything,' repeated Wilson. 'That's an advertisement,' Michealis assured him" Doctor Eckleburg's eyes are the reason why he believes he must work so hard to please God. He later on believes that the death of his wife Myrtle is a punishment from God.
The novel, The Great Gatsby is a very symbolic book and is an example of classic American literature. The "eyes of Dr. Eckelburg" are clearly the most symbolic element of the narrative and represent F. Scott Fitzgerald's main conception and feature idea that he wanted to get across when writing this novel. The eyes embody the corruption of society, the eyes of an omnipotent God, and imply human carelessness and mistreatment.
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