Symbolism In Great Gatsby

2 Pages 588 Words

Symbolism in “The Great Gatsby”

Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” is a story of the burdened love between a man and a woman. The main theme of the novel; however, surrounds a much larger, less romantic scope. Though all of its action takes place over a few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a confined geographical area in Long Island, New York, “The Great Gatsby” is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole. Although the main theme of the novel is the American dream, many symbols are found within “The Great Gatsby” as well. Some symbols which represent abstract ideas or concepts in the novel include the green light, the valley of ashes, and Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes.
Located at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely noticeable from Gatsby’s West Egg front lawn, the green light symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates the light with Daisy, and in Chapter I he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal and fantasy. Gatsby’s want for Daisy is associated with the American dream; the green light also represents this. In Chapter IX, Nick compares the green light to how America, rising out of the ocean, must have looked to early settlers of the new nation. This shows that many people were suspicious at what exactly the green light was across the way.
The next symbol in this novel was the valley of ashes. First introduced in Chapter II, the valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of barren and desolate land created by the dumping of the industrial ashes. It represents the moral and social decay that results from the abundant pursuit of wealth, as the rich allow themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the dilemma of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their liveliness as a result. Th...