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In the book “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald the characters are defined by their wealth, in some ways earning the money through corrupt bargains and immoral actions. The characters then start to view God, in the sense of money, as this corrupt, materialistic being who has deserted them. Hauhart then argues in the article, “Religious Language and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby’s Valley of Ashes,” that the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are a symbol for God while the Valley of Ashes symbolizes human waste. What the article doesn't discuss in detail is the meaning of why this idea of God is present in important scenes in the book, such as when the reader first meets Myrtle and the first major death of an important character. These
scenes are a result of the characters impure and immoral actions showing that in their lives, this idea of God has taken on this capitalistic, material view; furthermore the setting of the Valley of Ashes which includes the billboard of T. J. Eckleburg shows the materiality of God in the characters’ lives.
Reading through the novel The Great Gatsby, it becomes evident that Dr. Eckelberg symbolizes God and oversees events that occur. The characters in the novel refer to "the eyes of Dr. Eckelberg" often. Doctor T.J. Eckleburg symbolizes three things. He symbolizes the corruption of society; his eyes represent the eyes of an omnipotent God, and he implies carelessness and mistreatment.
The recurring themes of society, class, and self identity can be seen throughout many different writings of the 20th century. Two of these writings include, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both novels focus on the protagonist's goal of achieving equal rights in their own environment while at the same time trying to figure out who they are in the world. In the early 1900s, when “Their Eyes Were Watching God” takes place, slavery had very recently been abolished (relatively speaking) and the lasting effects of segregation take a toll on Janie, the protagonist. In the Great Gatsby, although Jay Gatsby is white, and thus does not have to deal with the factor of race, he struggles with many different aspects of American Society, mainly the class system and the American Dream. The American dream depicted by F.Scott Fitzgerald is a desire to gain wealth and prosperity. However, at the same time the book does not suggest that wealth equates to success. Even though Gatsby does have material wealth, he is not successful in gaining what he wants to be happy. Despite his material wealth, Gatsby is never united with the love of his life, Daisy. This shows that even though Gatsby has achieved the dream of wealth and prosperity, he has not achieved his final goal. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie too believes in the American Dream, and similarly to Gatsby, it is not a dream of wealth and prosperity. For her, it’s a dream of Freedom in all aspects of life. Both characters however, spend much of their time trying to conform to the rest of the world and essentially be like “everyone” else instead of trying to be distinct individuals. Societal norms of the early 1900s tak...
In order to understand the religious imagery in The Great Gatsby, one must first understand Fitzgerald's own ideas on religion. Fitzgerald was a troubled man much of his life, and was a victim of psychological and emotional turmoil. Fitzgerald's friend, John Peale Bishop once remarked he had "the rare faculty...
The Great Gatsby does an excellent job showing the reader the neglect for spiritual values in America, and how Americans believed there was no greater power watching over them. Throughout the 1920’s by using the famous eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Dr. T.J. Eckleburg was an optometrist in New York. His choice of advertising is strange but extremely symbolic to the theme. In the Valley of ashes, his eyes are painted on a billboard that looks down on everyone. These eyes are constantly watching the people slowly give up their values and beliefs. It’s obvious that the eyes on the billboard are consistently watching the people toss away their values because of how the billboard is designed. Nick describes the sign like this, “The eyes are blue and gigantic- their ...
The Great Gatsby shows us the decline of civilization with the loss of thought for God and religion. God is merely mentioned at all in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, except for the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg on the billboard. This notion suggests that capitalism is above God among the rich and powerful. The rich and powerful are blind to the notion of God and religion.
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).
Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Symbolism is what makes a story complete. In "The Great Gatsby" Fitzgerald cleverly uses symbolism. Virtually anything in the novel can be taken as a symbol, from the weather, to the colors of clothing. characters wear. There are three main symbols used in The Great Gatsby, they are The East and West Egg, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, and the eyes of Dr.T.J. Eckleburg.
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel based on Gatsby’s dream and hope. In order to enrich the story, symbols are used to emphasize what the author is saying and they create a curiosity in the reader as they are frequently used throughout the story. These three symbols – green light, valley of ashes and the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg are not connected to each other but each of them represents important things in the story.
Symbols and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby - Symbolism and the Truth That Lies Between
Scott Fitzgerald was a writer who desired his readers to be able to hear, feel, and see his work. He made it his goal to be able to make readers think and keep asking questions using imagery and symbolism. The Great Gatsby was not just about the changes that occurred during the Jazz Age, but it was also about America’s corrupted society which was full of betrayal and money-hungry citizens. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that overlooked all the corruption that occurred throughout the Valley of Ashes. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that serves as a symbol of higher power who witnesses everything from betrayal to chaos in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the God is one who does not interfere with what people are doing on Earth. He does care about them, even if they have done wrong, doesn’t try to change them, or their morals. He is described as a “watcher” (Fitzgerald 167). He watches people cause their own destruction, but does not do anything about it. The role of God and Religion in Gatsby is evident in the lack of religion among the upper/business class, it’s effect on mortality, and the symbolism of God.
In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald portrays a world where the characters are driven on money and status. The godless society is created by the characters consistently idolizing meaningless things above God, they incorrectly establish an old oculus shop billboard advertisement as "The eyes of God". Another incorrect religious perception is when Nick appoints Gatsby as a figure resembling Jesus. This society becomes so corrupted because of the characters ' delusions and inabilities to be satisfied create a dystopia. Although Gatsby is drowning in his wealth, he still longs to be part of the "Old Money" social class. The ultimate reason for Gatsby 's death was because he left the social class he was born into, which is impossible in this corrupt
Celia Allison Hahn, the director of publications, states that, “People both inside and outside the church declare in many ways that religion is a private matter between individuals and God; it does not belong to any church” Hahn). In one way or another, religion influences everyone, even when people do not directly profess a faith in God. Spiritual influences are visible in nearly every aspect of a person’s life when attention is called to it. The influences of religion are clear throughout the novel without the author needing to say anything about the characters belief in a greater power. By using the undertone of religion, Fitzgerald shows the connection of Gatsby to Jesus, the significance of sin, and the idea of rebirth.
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.
In literature, authors use their life experiences and their culture in the development of their plots and the creation of their characters’ traits. The era and area where an author emerged are key to the development of these experiences and cultural elements that are created and established in their works. Due to the predominantly Christian culture in the early 1900s, authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, who were raised in that era, were brought up and schooled in reading and interpreting the Bible. The effect of this culture on Fitzgerald’s work is shown when he utilizes his prior knowledge of the Bible to reference it, just like many Authors before him incorporated their knowledge of myths and Shakespeare in their works. In The Great Gatsby,