While the wealthy live the American dream, the less fortunate must struggle through the rubble left behind in order to strive to achieve it. The first passage is in Nick’s point of view towards the “valley of ashes” of when he and Tom visited Tom’s mistress. He comes to find the place filled with factory smog, contaminating the air and completely uncared for. The “valley of ashes” is where the lower class struggles to survive and reveals the misery that the working class faced in comparison to the wealthy upper class. The second passage is Nick describing his experience at one of Gastsby’s parties after being so interested in knowing who Gatsby truly was. The party included an abundance of alcohol, people, music and luxurious activities. This …show more content…
The imagery in “Where ashes grow like wheat” conveys the rampant spread of pollution from factories, much like the rapid growth of wheat. Vividly implying an unrelenting production of pollution, engulfing the valley in dark smog, leaving the inhabitants to grapple with the challenging conditions. In “grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke” creates a contrasting image of a horrific and polluted garden to the traditional beautiful garden to emphasize the negative influence industrialization has had on the environment and life itself. The visual contrast not only emphasizes the dangerous overwhelming pollution but also evokes a sense of hopelessness due to the poor people of the valley left to survive through the “grotesque garden”. The inhabitants own very little and no social status, causing their health and environmental conditions to be …show more content…
The inhabitants lack control over their own safety, suggesting a mood of despair, since they are at the mercy of the ones above them. The narrator states “The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word.”(Fitzgerald 43-44). The continuous brightening of the lights as the day nears closer to night reflects an image of the guest's ecstatic energy and refusal to stop partying. Many of the guests were part of the wealthy upper class and did not have to worry about being late to work the next day much like their labor workers. Allowing them to have the privilege to party for as long as they want. The imagery in, “Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word” expresses the wealthy guests' lack of stress being so reckless late at
The Gray Gatsby “The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour,” (23) In The Great Gatsby, between the East Egg and the West Egg, lay the valley of ashes. Though not literally consisting of ashes, the area gets its nickname because of the industrialization of the area as well as the smog from the smokestacks decorating nearby factories
The Great Gatsby and the Valley of Ashes Many times we hear of society's affect on people; society influencing the way people think and act. Hardly mentioned is the reverse: peoples' actions and lifestyles affecting society as a whole and how it is characterized. Thus, society is a reflection of its inhabitants and in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it is a wasteland described as the "valley of ashes." Since the characters of this novel make up this wasteland, aren't they the waste
by the Valley of the Ashes. In The Great Gatsby, the Valley of the Ashes illustrate the inequality between its inhabitants and that of West Egg and East Egg, in terms of social standing and income, as well as the hopelessness of poverty resulting from the inability of its inhabitants to rise up the socio-economic ladder. Thus, the valley represents the failure of the Dream that America promises, which is the ideal of equal opportunities for all, associated with the New World. The valley is described
In The Great Gatsby, a classic American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Valley of Ashes, East Egg, and West Egg are the three main regions surrounding New York City, a “racy, adventurous” city that epitomizes the American Dream (65). A cultural revolution, illustrated by the motif of geography, is occurring at the time setting of the book—the Jazz Age or the “Roaring” Twenties (69). During these tumultuous times, the capitalist economy roared on, but economic inequality between classes also grew
The Valley of Ashes as Metaphor in The Great Gatsby Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, location is a critical motif. The contrasts between East and West, East Egg and West Egg, and the two Eggs and New York serve important thematic roles and provide the backdrops for the main conflict. Yet, there needs to be a middle ground between each of these sites, a buffer zone, as it were; there is the great distance that separates East from West; there is the bay that separates East Egg
novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby loved Daisy and always looking to her house. Tom has an affair with a women who lived in the Valley of Ashes. In this novel, valley of ashes and the green light goes through the novel, suggesting that the decay of American dream. Valley of ashes represents not only poverty but also the decay of this decades. The Valley of Ashes is absolutely a poor place and in heavy environmental pollution. It is described as “a fantastic arm where ashes grow like
response to the following prompt concerning some of the symbols in the novel. “Discuss the valley of ashes in chapter 2.” The American Dream is originally about the discovery of happiness, but by the 1920s, this dream has become perverted into this desire for wealth by whatever means; mistaken that money will bring happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald does not use the words “American Dream” in the novel, The Great Gatsby, but it is evident that he shows the impossibility of achieving happiness through the
Despair in the Valley of Ashes Imagine everyday waking up going to the same old boring job living a meaningless life because it is impossible to achieve the same life as the those living in the upper class. Gray suffocates the surroundings, except for a dingy billboard with blue eyes and yellow spectacles. This is a reality for Myrtle and George Wilson living in the Valley of Ashes because they are the lower class in The Great Gatsby. In this novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he conveys the importance
Dat Huynh IB English Literature September 21, 2017 C12 Commentary 4 The selected passage introduces the scene of valley of ashes, Fitzgerald shows the readers the contrast of the locations. After describing West Egg and East Egg in chapter one, the illustration of dark, dim and muted town serves as the direct contrast of the wealthy places. Unlike the other locations, the valley of ashes is the town of poverty, where everything is covered in ash, lacking the beauty of life. This represents the concealed
film matched up well to what was expected from the book, but some choices contrasted greatly. The Valley of Ashes was well portrayed in the film. The Valley is “…a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens…” (Fitzgerald 27). This shows that the Valley of Ashes is not a pleasant place to be in and is looked down upon. In the film, the interpretation on the Valley is spot on. It shows a dirty, sad little town, filled with depressed people. A second scenery choice
To reverse the setting and corresponding tone of good wealth and high fortunes, Fitzgerald utilizes the setting of Valley of Ashes. Described as "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges” (Fitzgerald 23), the Valley of Ashes represents the lower class and poverty. It is a “solemn dumping ground" (Fitzgerald 23), symbolizing the upper class destruction and the way they exploit the hard working "ash-gray men" (Fitzgerald 23). Thus, the established atmosphere delivers hopelessness of
There are three big symbols throughout the novel The Great Gatsby. The Valley of Ashes, an old, run, beat down town. The green light at the end of Daisy's dock. and The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg plastered on a billboard located in the Valley of Ashes. All having much significance throughout the novel. But at the same time all symbolizing death in the end without anyone even realizing it. The Valley of Ashes, It symbolized the ¨have-nots¨ and the waste left behind in the pursuit of wealth. It even
The Great Gatsby, People trying to live out the American Dream usual start out feeling very optimistic, but this normally ends with suffering and failure. This is especially prevalent in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. These themes are expressed through symbols, consisting of the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock which represents hope for Gatsby. Suffering is represented by the Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, because of the situations that follow after they are seen by the characters
Great Gatsby Symbolism The “American Dream” is the idea that suggests anyone in the United States can achieve anything through hard work and anyone has the potential to live a happy and successful life. The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald this novel written in the 1920s had many ideas and symbolism that can relate to the modern day. Fitzgerald brought up ideas that are very controversial. The Great Gatsby shows the idea of the “American Dream” as something that is falsely stated that
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