How Does Fitzgerald Use Dust/Ash As A Symbol?
In The Bible, the story of Adam and Eve depicts man being made from the dust. The setting takes place in the Garden of Eden, a very lush and fruitful setting. However, their fate ends in deceit and reveals their sensuality and lack of morality. This story of man’s fall from paradise, shows how dust causes future issues. The movement from Bible times to the 1920s, exposes the downfall of religion, since it was not very prominent during the 1920s and life was focused more on immoral actions and “being free”. By alluding to biblical times, Fitzgerald is able to show the irony in The Great Gatsby of how unimportant religion was during the time and the misconstrued view of God. Fitzgerald mirrors the symbolic use of dust in his novel, to parallel that dust/ash clouds clear vision and causes misguided actions. The author of The Great Gatsby uses the symbolism of dust and ashes to foreshadow death and indicate a loss of innocence.
Readers meet Wilson in chapter two as a resident in the Valley of Ashes, and shows how the innocence of his American Dream has been lost, and foreshadows his forthcoming death. The Valley of Ashes is described as, …show more content…
Through Wilson, ashes affect the innocence of his American Dream, that is lost, and indicates his future demise. In Myrtle, her “smouldering appearance”, home in the Valley of Ashes, and her connection with ashy objects, portrays her sensual character which signifies her downfall. Gatsby also portrays his loss of innocence in his dream, since the only way he can try to achieve his goals is through illegal activity, and eventually causes his death. Through these depictions of dust and the affect it has on characters, the unclarity dust/ash provides is proven. This unclarity causes immoral actions resulting in their murders/suicides, demonstrating that impure views of religion, result in one’s
In The Bible, the story of Adam and Eve depicts man being made from the dust. The setting takes place in the Garden of Eden, a very lush and fruitful setting. However, their fate ends in deceit and reveals their sensuality and lack of morality. This story of man’s fall from paradise, shows how dust causes future issues. The movement from Bible times to the 1920s, exposes the downfall of religion, since it was not very prominent during the 1920s and life was focused more on immoral actions and “being free”. By alluding to biblical times, Fitzgerald is able to show the irony in The Great Gatsby of how unimportant religion was during the time and the misconstrued view of God. Fitzgerald mirrors the symbolic use of dust in his novel, to parallel that dust/ash clouds clear vision and causes misguided actions. The author of The Great Gatsby uses the symbolism of dust and ashes to foreshadow death and indicate a loss of innocence.
Readers meet Wilson in chapter two as a resident in the Valley of Ashes, and shows how the innocence of his American Dream has been lost, and foreshadows his forthcoming death. The Valley of Ashes is described as, …show more content…
Through Wilson, ashes affect the innocence of his American Dream, that is lost, and indicates his future demise. In Myrtle, her “smouldering appearance”, home in the Valley of Ashes, and her connection with ashy objects, portrays her sensual character which signifies her downfall. Gatsby also portrays his loss of innocence in his dream, since the only way he can try to achieve his goals is through illegal activity, and eventually causes his death. Through these depictions of dust and the affect it has on characters, the unclarity dust/ash provides is proven. This unclarity causes immoral actions resulting in their murders/suicides, demonstrating that impure views of religion, result in one’s