In Psalm 23, David describes how he is able to deal with the hardship of the world because of his connection with God, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters… Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me… And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever,” (“Psalm 23 NASB”). “The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, references Psalm 23 through the similarity in names between the valley of ashes and “the valley of the shadow of death”. In Psalm 23, the valley of the shadow of death refers to the hardship of the world, and because of David’s strong connection with
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F. Scott Fitzgerald starts off paragraph two with a fantastical solemn dream, “This is a valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke…” (Fitzgerald, 23). The houses of the valley of ashes are not literally made up of ashes, and ashes cannot grow like wheat, and this imagery of the entire valley, and its buildings, being made up of ashes is used to create an image in readers minds. The feeling that F. Scott Fitzgerald creates is not a pleasant one, as ashes are a universal symbol for death, destruction, and loss, and this feeling is transferred to permanently be a part of the valley. Furthermore, the valley of ashes is described as a farm, which is a symbol for production. In terms of the valley, the theme of production can be applied to the role that the residents of the valley play in society. The work to produce and enable the wealthy few who reside in such places as West Egg or East Egg. But, because of the ashen dream evoked upon readers and the prevalence of grimness in the valley, one must view the production of the valley of ashes with the same dismal tone. As in other laboring classes throughout history and in the present, the residents of the laboring class struggle to …show more content…
Fitzgerald describes Mr. Wilson as being veiled with ash, but not his wife Myrtle, because she is not the typical resident, “‘Oh, sure,’ agreed Wilson hurriedly and went toward the little office, mingling immediately with the cement color of the walls. A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity--except his wife, who moved close to Tom,” (Fitzgerald, 26). In the case of George Wilson, the gray powder that veils his suit is a clear indicator that he is from the valley of ashes because, like the name suggests, ashes are an important part of the valley. Because the ash can be physically found on people, it suggests that this ashen imagery goes beyond a fantastical dream and that this ash does cover the valley. The ash must float down like snow after being pumped out of the sky by factories, and collect itself onto the clothes of the residents. But, while it seems like everyone who lives in the valley of ashes should have this gray soot on their clothes, Myrtle is described to be the only thing in the vicinity of the office not covered with it, and the reason for this is her affair with Tom Buchanan. Myrtle finds gains in her less than knoble position as Tom’s mistress, such as wealth, as shown by the apartment and
F. Scott Fitzgerald starts off paragraph two with a fantastical solemn dream, “This is a valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke…” (Fitzgerald, 23). The houses of the valley of ashes are not literally made up of ashes, and ashes cannot grow like wheat, and this imagery of the entire valley, and its buildings, being made up of ashes is used to create an image in readers minds. The feeling that F. Scott Fitzgerald creates is not a pleasant one, as ashes are a universal symbol for death, destruction, and loss, and this feeling is transferred to permanently be a part of the valley. Furthermore, the valley of ashes is described as a farm, which is a symbol for production. In terms of the valley, the theme of production can be applied to the role that the residents of the valley play in society. The work to produce and enable the wealthy few who reside in such places as West Egg or East Egg. But, because of the ashen dream evoked upon readers and the prevalence of grimness in the valley, one must view the production of the valley of ashes with the same dismal tone. As in other laboring classes throughout history and in the present, the residents of the laboring class struggle to …show more content…
Fitzgerald describes Mr. Wilson as being veiled with ash, but not his wife Myrtle, because she is not the typical resident, “‘Oh, sure,’ agreed Wilson hurriedly and went toward the little office, mingling immediately with the cement color of the walls. A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity--except his wife, who moved close to Tom,” (Fitzgerald, 26). In the case of George Wilson, the gray powder that veils his suit is a clear indicator that he is from the valley of ashes because, like the name suggests, ashes are an important part of the valley. Because the ash can be physically found on people, it suggests that this ashen imagery goes beyond a fantastical dream and that this ash does cover the valley. The ash must float down like snow after being pumped out of the sky by factories, and collect itself onto the clothes of the residents. But, while it seems like everyone who lives in the valley of ashes should have this gray soot on their clothes, Myrtle is described to be the only thing in the vicinity of the office not covered with it, and the reason for this is her affair with Tom Buchanan. Myrtle finds gains in her less than knoble position as Tom’s mistress, such as wealth, as shown by the apartment and