Valley Of Ashes In 'The Great Gatsby'

Words: 1603
Pages: 7
Open Document
Cierra Thomas

Dickinson

English 3BD

20 October 2016

The Great Gatsby

Literature is a reflection of life and its time as most novels settings and characters mirror the time period. Time periods play an important role as they set the social norms for the book and how the characters are portrayed. An overarching theme of The Great Gatsby is the pursual of the American Dream. Gatsby's American Dream was to gain Daisy back. Even with his overzealous attempts like his extravagant parties and tea time, this never ends up happening. Thus Fitzgerald is portraying the American Dream more like a scam, than something to strive for. As quoted on page of The Great Gatsby, "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly …show more content…
The Valley of Ashes was not just a city; it figuratively signified much more than that. It represented cities across the entire United States during the 1920's. One definition of ashen is "devoid of color, pallid". This is certainly true of these cities. They were barren, lifeless, as their inhabitants just lived day to day. Fitzgerald himself was part of The Lost Generation, a post-World War I generation group of U.S. writers who came of age during the war and established their literary reputations in the 1920s (History.com). The generation was “lost” in the sense that its inherited values were no longer relevant in the postwar world and because of its spiritual alienation, the U.S. seemed to its members to be hopelessly provincial, materialistic, and emotionally barren (History.com). For Fitzgerald his experiences and thoughts of this generation materialized in the writing of The Great …show more content…
There were a few instances of social mobility that was normally unheard of during this time period- mainly in Chapter 4 a wealthy African American family being driven around by a White chauffeur and in Chapter 5 Myrtle pumps gas for Gatsby's car at the gas station. These were odd events to have happen as it transcended normal class behaviors and shows that thoughts/feelings were changing regarding African Americans and females. In the 1920’s poor race relations were at an all-time high, but the act of the African American family with a chauffeur foreshadows what would eventually happen years later: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 which was a paramount piece of legislation for African Americans that provided many new civil liberties. Before this new law segregation ("separate but equal") concerns were really in full force: Jim Crow law, the Ku Klux Klan, and Race Riots, amongst other issues. At this point Nick did not know what exactly would happen, but knew that this event was indicative that something significant was
Show More

Related Documents: Valley Of Ashes In 'The Great Gatsby'

The Role Of The Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby

Ashes consists of the disposing of industrial ashes similar to how the people in the 1920s were disposing their moral values. Fitzgerald mentions that when Nick first arrives in the Valley of Ashes he is greeted with an old billboard poster covered with the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24). Eckleburg’s eyes, which is a main part of the Valley of Ashes, represent God’s disappointment…

Words 357 - Pages 2

Examples Of The Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald’s description of the valley of ashes captures the reality of what the American Dream symbolizes in context of the novel. Fitzgerald’s use of colorless diction such as “ashes… smoke… ash-gray…bleak dust” (Fitzgerald 23), symbolically portray the obscured moral values amongst society. Daisy’s love affair with Gatsby, Tom’s love affair with Myrtle, Tom deceiving Gatsby, and Gatsby deceiving Tom, demonstrate the selfishness that exists among these characters. Personal gain and pleasure blind…

Words 284 - Pages 2

What Does The Valley Of The Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses a variety of literary devices to portray the American Dream. One example is the the green light that symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for a life with Daisy. Another symbol is the Valley of the Ashes, which represents the ugly consequences of America’s obsession with wealth. Fitzgerald uses these symbols to convey the illusory nature of the American Dream.…

Words 65 - Pages 1

What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses multiple symbols to convey the theme of his classic novel, “The Great Gatsby.” A symbol can be defined as a literary device that contains several layers of meaning, often concealed at first sight, and representative of several other aspects, concepts or traits than those that are visible in the literal translation alone. Symbolism is using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning. A symbols purpose in a story is often to stand for something abstract…

Words 2563 - Pages 11

What Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, by F.S. Fitzgerald is set in America, New York City and Long Island, during the roaring twenties after World War 1. It is a hedonistic society which pursued the American Dream selfishly and recklessly. Fitzgerald used symbolism throughout his novel to emphasise and enhance the idea of the American Dream and the pursuit behind it. In the 1920s it was almost every Americans aspiration to host extravagant parties, own the finest cars, live in elaborate and expensive homes and to live…

Words 743 - Pages 3

Eyes Of Dr. J. Eckleburg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Gatsby: The Story of Us Jay Gatsby is one of the most memorable characters ever written in literature. Whether it be his extravagant parties, his overwhelming wealth, or simply his compassionate smile, Gatsby never fails to captivate the reader. Although Mr. Gatsby plays a large role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s critically acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby, there is a stronger force at work within this literary classic. Sometimes hidden deep within the lines or even standing in plain sight, symbolism…

Words 1663 - Pages 7

Mobility In The Great Gatsby

make due with the cards they were dealt? In her piece The Great Gatsby: Driving to Destruction with the Rich and Careless at the Wheel, Jacqueline Lance equates the personalities and characteristics of the characters in The Great Gatsby to the characteristics of their respective automobiles, suggesting stationary character personas. Just as Lance suggests a lack of mobility in character personalities through her analysis of The Great Gatsby and the prevalence of automobiles, F. Scott Fitzgerald proposes…

Words 990 - Pages 4

Everything: F. Scott Fitzgerald and American Dream Essay

A true icon of its time, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the true meanings of several interesting and in-depth topics, perhaps the most controversial being that of the American dream. In being one of the main themes of the Great Gatsby, the American dream is described as it exists in a corrupt period of history, the 1920’s, often noted as the, “Roaring 20’s.” As it is described in the novel, the American dream is known as one’s only desire for money and materialism. Moreover, let’s…

Words 1109 - Pages 5

The Great Gatsby Research Paper

come from different economic backgrounds. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald successfully uses location to differentiate social status amongst his characters while the weather and seasons of those locations help guide them. Each character helps represent and support the differences of social class and the four main locations, The East Egg, the West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and New York City. In The Great Gatsby…

Words 1222 - Pages 5

Examples Of Satire In The Great Gatsby

novel The Great Gatsby is a novel that remarks on the American culture during the twenties. This is shown through The Valley of Ashes, Gatsby's gatherings, Gatsby,Myrtle, and George. Through these characters and places Fitzgerald shows satire, how the American dream isn't genuine any longer and how it has changed with improper exercises and activities that support the selfish needs of others. The American dream had been replaced to a quest for money than enjoyment. The valley of Ashes is an example…

Words 579 - Pages 3