Nir Solooki
The Valley of Green Eyes
An Analysis of the Major Themes in an American Classic in Light of the American Dream
Ever since America’s establishment, the idea of the American Dream has inundated the minds of its citizens. Some tried as hard as they possibly could to achieve this dream; others took a less intense approach to this ideology. The ones who tried hard and did reach their dream, became incredibly wealthy, and were able to do outrageous things. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, the star of the novel, takes this nature of attitude to achieve this specific lifestyle. At one point in the book we learn that at one point, Gatsby was not so rich and famous. In fact, his name is not even Jay Gatsby; James Gatz was his name given …show more content…
The reason the valley of ashes exists is due to the nearby factories waste. The factories show a resemblance to the American Dream because they both have money as their top priority. Both the factories and the American Dream, have one main unpleasant side-effect: corruption. The corruption of the factories shows itself through the abominable valley of ashes, while the American Dream represents it from moral deterioration through the unconditional pursuit of richness. Although this may seem terrible, the most frightening fact of all is that bystanders show ignorance to the valley’s true meaning. When the novel first describes the valley of ashes, it depicts it as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens” (23). Although the text does use adjectives like “grotesque”, it also portrays how while the ashes seem incredibly negative, they still form a “garden”, which illustrates the sublime beauty spectators attach to it. Not only do citizens admire the valley, they are also consumed by its force: “then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us” (68). This portrays how people, rich and poor, were simply surrounded with the corruption of the valley, and did not mind. The valley of ashes essentially shows how engulfed residents were with corruption, but simultaneously their outright blindness to …show more content…
Eckleburg’s eyes constantly stare over the citizens of New York; they serve as a reminder to the fact that there is always a more superior authority. The book describes “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” as “blue and gigantic - their retinas are one yard high.” Some characters in the novel treat the Doctor as a godly being and fear him greatly. One example is George Wilson who speaks about Eckleburg and says, “You may fool me but you can't fool God!” He continues, “God sees everything” (159). Others take a less extreme approach of this ideology. Nick, for example, does notice “The giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” and how they “kept their vigil”. On the other hand, he also “perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away” (124). This shows that although Nick may have acknowledged the eyes, he focuses more on a superior pair of eyes, human eyes. Gatsby takes a radical approach to Eckleburg’s eyes and completely ignores them throughout the novel. This is because of his desire for achieving the American Dream. He believes in a way that he is god and does not need another god looking over him. In fact, the novel states when he kissed Daisy, “He knew . . . his mind would never romp again like the mind of God.” He is compared to being a god, which he hallucinated about for a long time, but thought that only he could be god and nobody else. This arrogantness
The Valley of Green Eyes
An Analysis of the Major Themes in an American Classic in Light of the American Dream
Ever since America’s establishment, the idea of the American Dream has inundated the minds of its citizens. Some tried as hard as they possibly could to achieve this dream; others took a less intense approach to this ideology. The ones who tried hard and did reach their dream, became incredibly wealthy, and were able to do outrageous things. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, the star of the novel, takes this nature of attitude to achieve this specific lifestyle. At one point in the book we learn that at one point, Gatsby was not so rich and famous. In fact, his name is not even Jay Gatsby; James Gatz was his name given …show more content…
The reason the valley of ashes exists is due to the nearby factories waste. The factories show a resemblance to the American Dream because they both have money as their top priority. Both the factories and the American Dream, have one main unpleasant side-effect: corruption. The corruption of the factories shows itself through the abominable valley of ashes, while the American Dream represents it from moral deterioration through the unconditional pursuit of richness. Although this may seem terrible, the most frightening fact of all is that bystanders show ignorance to the valley’s true meaning. When the novel first describes the valley of ashes, it depicts it as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens” (23). Although the text does use adjectives like “grotesque”, it also portrays how while the ashes seem incredibly negative, they still form a “garden”, which illustrates the sublime beauty spectators attach to it. Not only do citizens admire the valley, they are also consumed by its force: “then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us” (68). This portrays how people, rich and poor, were simply surrounded with the corruption of the valley, and did not mind. The valley of ashes essentially shows how engulfed residents were with corruption, but simultaneously their outright blindness to …show more content…
Eckleburg’s eyes constantly stare over the citizens of New York; they serve as a reminder to the fact that there is always a more superior authority. The book describes “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” as “blue and gigantic - their retinas are one yard high.” Some characters in the novel treat the Doctor as a godly being and fear him greatly. One example is George Wilson who speaks about Eckleburg and says, “You may fool me but you can't fool God!” He continues, “God sees everything” (159). Others take a less extreme approach of this ideology. Nick, for example, does notice “The giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg” and how they “kept their vigil”. On the other hand, he also “perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away” (124). This shows that although Nick may have acknowledged the eyes, he focuses more on a superior pair of eyes, human eyes. Gatsby takes a radical approach to Eckleburg’s eyes and completely ignores them throughout the novel. This is because of his desire for achieving the American Dream. He believes in a way that he is god and does not need another god looking over him. In fact, the novel states when he kissed Daisy, “He knew . . . his mind would never romp again like the mind of God.” He is compared to being a god, which he hallucinated about for a long time, but thought that only he could be god and nobody else. This arrogantness