Analysis Of Chapter 2 Of The Great Gatsby

386 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Social classes in the Great Gatsby

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for having themes of wealth and luxury. However, in chapter 2, the reader is exposed to an opposite theme. The narrator, Nick Carraway, describes the valley of ashes a place as “fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”. Shifting to today’s terms, the valley of ashes can be as a “dumpster”, not only physically, but socially, picturing the desolation and poverty found in that place. The author also introduces the figure of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s eyes, which represent the eyes of God watching the decay of human morals and the increase in iniquities during the 1920’s. There lives Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Wilson a couple that are bound to frustration

Show More
Related

  • Chapter Analysis: The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sometimes the power of love does not always lead to a happy ending. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a tragic love story on American life. Two lovers are joined together after five years knowing that one of them is married and has a child. As uncontrollable conflicts occur, these lovers are separated and forced to leave behind their past and accept failure.

    Read More

  • Why Is T. J. Eckleburg Important In The Great Gatsby

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stories can be interpreted many different ways when one happens to be trapped in a section of their lives. Their point of views and emotions all greatly affect the way they think and react. Especially in Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, people commonly act in their best interest rather than thinking about the impacts of their actions. The wealthy ones can easily do whatever they like without too heavily worrying about their consequences; however, the huge gap between the poor and the rich further encourage the rich to be blindness of their actions. Throughout The Great Gatsby, the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg symbolize the failure of the American dream, God watching over mankind, and serves as a warning.

    Read More

  • Chapter 1 Analysis of The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chapter 1 Analysis of The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby- this title is merely an adjective or epithet for the main character of the story, which brings about the importance of characterization in the book. Fitzgerald has a rather unique style of characterization in his writing- especially in this book. His use of irony, strong diction and symbolism plays a significant role in conveying his certain ideologies about the people of this certain era, and the embodiment of the "great American dream". The eye of the story- Fitzgerald's weapon of observation is Nick

    Read More

  • East and West Egg in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many themes that are implemented in the Great Gatsby that Fitzgerald uses as a technique to juxtapose two contrasting topics. During this time of the Roaring Twenties, business and economy was booming, however there’s still a underlying hint of urban corruption and the gap between the rich and poor became greater. Through the technique of juxtaposition, Fitzgerald paints a detailed picture of society in the 1920’s and its cultural clashes. By comparing the characters living in the East and West Egg, Fitzgerald highlights the contrast between morality and corruption in society during the 1920’s. Additionally, his contrasting descriptions of Tom and Daisy’s house in the Valley of Ashes offers a juxtaposition of the rich and poor.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'The Great Gatsby'

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jay Gatsby’s funeral is a small service, not because that 's what was intended, but because no one bothered to show up. Nick wanted to give Gatsby the popularity he desired, even in death, but only three people were present in the end. Gatsby’s father, Henry C. Gatz, shows up unexpectedly from Minnesota because he heard about the news in the papers. He believes that the man who shot his son must 've been mad, that no one in their right mind could commit such a horrible act. Daisy and Wolfsheim, the people closest to Gatsby in the book, do not attend. This exemplifies that it was always about wealth and social status for them, including Tom, and they never genuinely cared for Gatsby. Nick held up hope,

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby – Chapter 7 Summary

    375 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Great Gatsby – Chapter 7 Summary Chapter 7 was another important chapter in this book, it started off with Gatsby deciding to call off his parties, which he had held primarily to lure Daisy. He has also fired his servants to prevent gossip, and replaced them with connections of Meyer Wolfsheim. On the hottest day of the summer, Nick drives to East Egg for lunch at Tom and Daisy's house. When the nurse brings in Tom and Daisy's baby girl, Gatsby is stunned. During the awkward afternoon, Gatsby and Daisy cannot hide their love for one another, and Tom finally notices their situation.

    Read More

  • Religious Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

    1548 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people like flappers went against the standard and did not listen or go by the rules. Written during the Jazz Age period, Fitzgerald wrote the novel The Great Gatsby, and ironically, it is one that explores the concept of an omnipresent God which readers can guess comes from the author’s knowledge of Catholicism and Christianity. First and foremost, the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are representative of an omniscient God. The Great Gatsby begins chapter one with a description of “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic – their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose” (Fitzgerald 23).

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Analysis

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick’s unreliability as a narrator is blatantly evident, as his view of Gatsby’s actions seems to arbitrarily shift between disapproval and approval. Nick is an unreliable and hypocritical narrator who disputes his own background information and subjectively depicts Gatsby as a benevolent and charismatic host while ignoring his flaws and immorality from illegal activities. He refuses to seriously contemplate Gatsby’s negative attributes because of their strong mutual friendship and he is blinded by an unrealized faith in Gatsby. Furthermore, his multitude of discrepancies damage his ethos appeal and contribute to his lack of dependability.

    Read More

  • Eyes In The Great Gatsby Analysis

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the Great Gatsby, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are used repeatedly throughout the story as a god-like figure. The eyes of this billboard look out over the Valley of Ashes and watch quietly as demoralizing events occur: “God sees everything,”

    Read More

  • The Valley of the Ashes in the Great Gatsby

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    By exploring the physical site of the valley, followed by the inhabitants of the valley – George and Myrtle, George representing the working class and Myrtle the exception, extending this to the references of the valley to Gatsby’s humble origins, the Valley of the Ashes represents the low social mobility and the failure of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby - Chapter 1

    1761 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Great Gatsby - Chapter 1 Read the beginning of the novel chapter 1 up to page 12 “Tom Buchanan”. in his riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front. porch.” How effective do you find this as an introduction to Great? Gatsby.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Setting In The Great Gatsby

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...hollow books in his library, as many of the new rich did. He was amazed that Gatsby didn’t have a false or hollow life like the others. Gatsby was different from the others, he was “worth the whole damn bunch put together” of “the rotten crowd” (154). No matter how flawed Gatsby might have been, the others were worse. They were worse than a criminal, extravagant, and unsophisticated “elegant young roughneck” (48). The Valley of Ashes openly showed the hollowness of poverty, the lack of spirit to reach up and try again for their failed American dream.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Two Scenes in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1811 Words  | 4 Pages

    An Analysis of Two Scenes in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Juxtaposing two scenes in a narrative allows them to be easily compared and contrasted. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, two such scenes require specific attention. The impromptu party that is thrown by Tom Buchanan and his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, followed immediately by Jay Gatsby's party at his house, call for the attention of the reader because of the implications of these contiguous scenes. The result of analyzing the two scenes is that one can infer certain qualities of each man's character.

    Read More

  • Moral Criticism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scott employed to explain his opinion about the 1920s is the bright, colorful, and inviting city that lays at the bottom of the picture. From a distance, the city gives the impression of being an inviting place that look, of sorts, like a carnival. A carnival that is entertaining and full of pleasure. However, when looking at it closer, the faults and defects stand out. The picture is not really of a city, but rather a cluster of undefined lines and splashes of distinct colors blurred together to resemble a city, such as New York City. On the surface, the 1920s was categorized by prosperity, the expansion of wealth, and the increased ability to obtain more luxurious items. However, below the surface, the amount of organized crime paved the way for a large amount of wealth that existed during this time period. Even though the concepts are being discussed independently and by parts, the face and the picture of city coexist to makeup one picture. Rather than being two entirely separate picture, the idea was to keep them together has one continuous picture. The sadness in the eyes in a sense, the pair of eyes are overlooking the city, like Dr. T. J Eckleburg did over the valley of ashes in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby. Since the grime eyes extend over the

    Read More

  • Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

    In brief, the world of The Great Gatsby can seem as sordid, loveless, commercial, and dead as the ash heaps presided over by the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Indeed, this atmosphere is so essential that one of the alternate titles Fitzgerald considered was Among the Ash-Heaps and Millionaires. Fitzgerald using the valley of ashes, illustrates an environment where love has lost its place, which destroys hope for a family; the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, clearly intended to represent those of God, emphasizes that this lack of love and filial piety in a sin against themselves as well as society and God.

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Chapter 2 Of The Great Gatsby

Open Document