What Does The Eye Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then where does the door lie? F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a very dense book laden with symbolism. He uses eyes and facial features often in combination with colour to convey symbolism. This has a unique and powerful effect because the eyes and facial features are the first things that one uses in determining another’s character. One important thing to note would also be the lack of facial description in determining a character’s importance. By excluding a detailed facial description and thus a description of a character’s eyes, Fitzgerald suggests the lack of a soul. Eyes also have a very spiritual impact in the book, particularly the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, that watch over the “valley

When a character’s face is described in detail, it is very easy for one to discern what sort of presence that character has. When Nick first encounters Tom in the narration, he is described as “a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. [With two] shining arrogant eyes [that establish] dominance over his face and [give] him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward.” [Fitzgerald, 7]. This description of Tom Buchanan gives an impression of dominating confidence and self-assuredness, as compared to the minor character Mr. Mckee, who “was a pale, feminine man from the flat below.” [Fitzgerald, 32]. This description is brief and leaves much to the imagination, though what the imagination pictures is anything but glorious. This lack of description is deliberate; it serves in making the reader have very little thought about the character. If the reader loses his train of thought for a short moment, it would be very easy for him to pass over this character’s description. With the illustration of Tom, it is quite long and detailed. Even after his face is described, his body and how he makes others feel is also

The fact that only her body is being described and not her face indicates how Nick (and evidently Tom) see this woman. She is seen as an empty vessel, something for Tom to play around with and then throw away. It is an important fact that she is part of the lower middle class. To Nick and Tom, she is meaningless and because of this; almost sub-human. This is further demonstrated by the fact that Tom can hurt Myrtle and feel very little remorse about doing