The ‘Valley of Ashes’ is a harsh image in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed book ‘The Great Gatsby,’ a geographical manifestation of the social and moral deterioration that permeated 1920s America. The Valley of Ashes is a sharp contrast to the sparkling facade of the American ideal, and it is located between the luxurious places of West Egg and New York. This study dives into the Valley of Ashes to examine its function and influence in the story.
The Valley of Ashes is a tragic symbol of the shattered American ideal. This barren landscape, which has been likened to “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens,” represents the moral and social ruin that lay behind the Roaring Twenties’ wealth and glitz.
Residents of the neighborhood, including George Wilson, are covered in the dust of the wasteland, symbolizing their hopelessness and poverty. Their bleak circumstances stand in sharp contrast to the luxurious surroundings of the novel’s rich protagonists in West Egg and East Egg.
The Valley of Ashes is a moral thermometer as well as a symbol of society decline and inequality. Dr. T.J. Eckleburg’s optometry billboard stands as a symbol of divine retribution or karma in an otherwise apparently immoral planet since it is where Myrtle Wilson meets her awful end.
Therefore, the valley serves as a warning sign, a mirror reflecting the emptiness underneath the shiny veneer of the American ideal. Unchecked materialism, avarice, and moral apathy have grave consequences, as shown, and this book exposes them.
The billboard of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, with its spectacled eyes staring blankly over the wasteland, is often interpreted as the eyes of God, witnessing the moral decay and corruption of society. This omniscient presence serves as a harsh indictment of the characters’ actions and is a constant reminder of the moral void they inhabit.
In its entirety, the Valley of Ashes is a stark portrayal of the disillusionment of the American Dream. It serves as a powerful reminder that not all participate in the prosperity and wealth of the Roaring Twenties. The valley, with its desolate landscape and despairing inhabitants, exemplifies the cost of unbridled ambition and materialism, providing a sobering commentary on the darker aspects of the American ideal.
Conclusion:
The Valley of Ashes is a real place in ‘The Great Gatsby,’ but it also represents so much more than its physical surroundings. It’s a striking statement on the rot of disappointment and hopelessness that lies just below the surface of the American ideal, as an embodiment of shattered hopes and unfulfilled ambitions. The shattered remains of a civilization’s moral fiber and aspirational ideals lie in its ruins.
References:
- The Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby, F. Scott. The Sons of Charles Scribner.
- Bruscoli, Michael J. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Life Is Described with a Certain Epic Grandeur. The Press of the University of South Carolina.
- Author: Mizener, A. Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, titled “The Far Side of Paradise.” HMH, or Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- (Editor) R. Prigozy. (2002). There is now a Cambridge Encyclopedia of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Press, Cambridge.
- Editor: N. Tredell. (2007). The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. University of Columbia Press.
