How Does The Valley Of Ashes Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

The nineteen-twenties saw a great change in American society. With the recent upturn in the American economy, the United States became a “consumer society”. (History.com) This is the world of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man who rose to great wealth in mysterious ways. Gatsby threw lavish parties, characteristic of the time, and lived a life of luxury. Through the novel The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald portrays his view of the era he lived in; the roaring twenties. Using a new historicism approach, one can identify the parallels of Fitzgerald’s life and worldviews, as well as the influences of the time period, in the characters and the symbols used in the novel. The roaring twenties were the beginning of modern America. Also known as the Jazz Age, the era became iconic for it’s …show more content…
The valley of ashes in the book is a stretch of land between New York City and West Egg created by the dumping of industrial ashes. This desolate land symbolizes the moral state of decay of society in the roaring twenties. Because of the corrupted American dream, the pursuit of wealth, the morals of society are rotting away. The valley of ashes also represents the struggle of the poor. Fitzgerald recognized that the wealth of some families, such as the Rockefellers, was earned by those who live among the ashes. The poor live among the ashes, and loose their dream (Hearne 189-194). Lastly, the eyes of doctor T.J. Eckleburg are used by Scott Fitzgerald to convey is views on society in the Jazz Age, as well as accurately depict the time period. The eyes of T.J. Ecklberg are a pair of eyes on an advertising billboard among the valley of ashes. They symbolize the eyes of God watching over society, seeing the moral decay from the pursuit of wealth and pleasure. It can also embody the meaninglessness of society, and the emptiness of symbols or dreams of those in the valley of