What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, based on the actions and morals of people buring the jazz age, many symbols are used. The most important symbol is the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes are a huge builboard in the center of the valley of ashes, it symbolises much more then an advertisment. The eyes of Dr. Eckleburgis a symbol of God watching over all the coruption that is takng place such as: lying, affares, abuse,and iligal activity. In the valley of ashes “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” (Fitzgerald 23).This builboard is located int eh valley of ases which is between New York and east and west egg. The valley of ashes is where the lower class lives and Fitzgerald describes it as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; were ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and ready crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald 23). The valley of ashes also dymbolises all the moral decay going on in the novel such as: cheating, lying, abuse,and illigal activity.

Then Fitzgerald portrays adultry with Tom and Myrdals affair. Then again later with Gatsby and Daisy’s affair. Next Fitzgerald shows signs of abuse whrn Myrtal comes home with a broken nose and bruses. Also Gatsby and Wolfshine are invollved in an illigal bond business. All of the things going in within the novel are signs of moral decay which goes against life morals and the bible. In Exodus chapter 20 the bible states “... you shall not murder. you shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal” (Bible