The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about Jay Gatsby and his quest for the American dream. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald focuses on materialism and the lack of social mobility. He hints at the vice of American society and the desertion of religion by incorporating the motif of eyes alongside the descriptions of the Valley of Ashes. Through the motif of eyes, Fitzgerald uses religion to provide a commentary on the corruption of society and the inability to achieve the American dream. When Nick first describes the Valley of Ashes, he mentions Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s advertisement. He pays close attention to his eyes and how they watch over the valley. Eckleburg’s eyes overlooking the Valley of Ashes symbolize the eyes of G-d looking upon the moral decomposition in American society: The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic… They look out of no face but… from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles… Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice… then sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground. (Fitzgerald, 27-28) The eyes represent G-d staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland. Just like the billboard is left faded and ignored after “many paintless days”, religion is neglected. Myrtle, one of the characters who resides in the valley, abandons typical religious beliefs by committing adultery and trying to obtain wealth and prosperity through Tom, demonstrating her rejection of spiritual values for the goal of achieving material wealth. The eyes and the advertisement also suggest the decay of the Americ... ... middle of paper ... ...ruption and vice in American society, but merely acts as an observer. The inability to achieve the American dream and be able to move to a higher class is due to the abandonment of religious values and the immorality of civilians. Myrtle was ultimately unable to be prosperous and have the wealth she always wanted because she had to cheat on her husband. Wilson uses the idea of G-d being the billboard watching over the Valley of Ashes as an excuse to take revenge on the man he thinks killed his wife. Gatsby dies without achieving his goals because his methods of earning money and building up his life were illegal. Fitzgerald uses eyes as a means to convey the loss of spiritual values in America, the corruption of America’s people, and the hollowness of the American dream. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print.
Moshe the Beadle’s eyes are an example of depicting what he is thinking and feeling before and after the catastrophe. In the beginning, Moshe’s eyes are described as “dreamy” and “gazing off into the distance” (Wiesel 3). This shows his calm and content nature. But, after the catastrophe, Moshe has lost the “joy in his eyes” and has become distant (Wiesel 7). This shows how the events had taken a toll on Moshe and changed his nature. These are clear examples of how Moshe’s eyes connect to his mind and soul, as the depictions of his eyes before and after the events describe what he is feeling as well as his character.
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
Scott Fitzgerald was a writer who desired his readers to be able to hear, feel, and see his work. He made it his goal to be able to make readers think and keep asking questions using imagery and symbolism. The Great Gatsby was not just about the changes that occurred during the Jazz Age, but it was also about America’s corrupted society which was full of betrayal and money-hungry citizens. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that overlooked all the corruption that occurred throughout the Valley of Ashes. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that serves as a symbol of higher power who witnesses everything from betrayal to chaos in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, the pursuit of the American dream in a corrupt period is a central theme. This theme exemplifies itself in the downfall of Gatsby. In a time of disillusionment the ideals of the American dream are lost. The classic American dream is one of materialism and when Gatsby incorporates Daisy, a human being, into the dream he is doomed to fail.
... advertisement” (Fitzgerald pg. 160). Wilson understands the symbolic meaning of the eyes and how they truly do watch over all the corrupt, shameful things the main characters do.
Back in the roaring twenties America was seeing such world-changing phenomenons such as The Great Gatsby, and penicillin, but what took the world by surprise was none other than Walt Disney and his lovable creation, Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney, throughout his entire lifetime and career, always had an idea, a spark, and a way to make things better. Even in the face of tough times, he never failed to keep his optimistic attitude and kind faith in humanity from infecting those around him. A major part of his success was due to the technological innovations that revolutionized the film industry.
“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). “The Great Gatsby” by F.Scott Fitzgerald tells a tragic tale of materialistic wealth, and uses the colors green, yellow, and blue to convey wealth, hope and unhappiness, respectively, in this classic tale; hope being Gatsby’s saving grace and his ruination.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald focuses on the lifestyle of a group of people who will do anything to accomplish their goals. The characters go through different changes that come to affect their life decisions and will cause them to lie, sacrifice and feel lonely in their lives. They live the American dream and have power but chase a dream that would affect and change their lifestyles. They judge and discriminate against one another not knowing they have a certain symbol in common in their lives. Their desire to accomplish their goals became a type of new life to the characters.
...nonbelievers. The listeners are able to conjure images of nature’s disdain for the nonbeliever and through this comparison, can only imagine how much worse God’s wrath is. Consequently Edwards effectively uses imagery to urge his audience to believe in God rather than face dire punishment.
Trouble emerges when the wrong people and the wrong time collide, but a tragedy is not always necessarily the solution of that collision. However, in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby got murdered in the end of the novel. Despite the cause of it, his death itself is tragic. This novel leads the way to the fateful end of such a collision between the wrong man and the wrong time.
Lust is a desire that can drive an individual to go to all extents, just to get what they wish for. Literature is very broad in the way that it is available to everyone and can help us gain knowledge in many different aspects. In my opinion, I believe that literature is about gaining knowledge about a certain event and being able to connect with the story and relate the situations to what is actually happening in reality. I also think that literature can cause people to form different opinions that can end up being very eye opening when things are looked at from a different perspective. As a class, we read a variety of stories, all with different types of knowledge and opinions associated with them. The two stories that stood out to me were The Great Gatsby and “The Cask of Amontillado.” In these two stories the general message is lust and how lust can take over one’s body and the way they live their life.
...stique of the eyes would be gone, and it would no longer represent an all seeing being that can reproach the characters throughout the novel. This infinitesimal detail brings profundity to the novel. The Valley of Ash is where most of the tragedies in the book happen and is where the billboard that contains the eyes is present. The eyes saw Myrtle’s and Tom’s flirtation, Wilson’s and Myrtle’s fight, and Myrtle’s death.
The valley of ashes is a place between New York and the West Egg, where the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg lie. The valley of ashes is a place in which carries many trials for each of the characters, holding their hardships while they all try to reach the common goal of the American dream. The valley of ashes isn’t a place of wealth or prosperity; however every person must first pass through it to get to a better place. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the valley of ashes, the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg, and the light symbolically.
Fitzgerald using the valley of ashes, illustrates an environment where love has lost its place, which destroys hope for a family; the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, clearly intended to represent those of god, emphasizes that this lack of love and filial piety in a sin against themselves as well as society and God
Similarly, ashes take the form “of ash-grey men, who moved dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”. (21) The stiff, weak movements show its inhabitants to be barely alive. These men have the same lack of life and vitality as their surroundings do. This is seen in the inhabitants of the valley. George Wilson, who...