The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about Jay Gatsby and his quest for the American dream. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald focuses on materialism and the lack of social mobility. He hints at the vice of American society and the desertion of religion by incorporating the motif of eyes alongside the descriptions of the Valley of Ashes. Through the motif of eyes, Fitzgerald uses religion to provide a commentary on the corruption of society and the inability to achieve the American dream. When Nick first describes the Valley of Ashes, he mentions Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s advertisement. He pays close attention to his eyes and how they watch over the valley. Eckleburg’s eyes overlooking the Valley of Ashes symbolize the eyes of G-d looking upon the moral decomposition in American society: The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic… They look out of no face but… from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles… Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice… then sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground. (Fitzgerald, 27-28) The eyes represent G-d staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland. Just like the billboard is left faded and ignored after “many paintless days”, religion is neglected. Myrtle, one of the characters who resides in the valley, abandons typical religious beliefs by committing adultery and trying to obtain wealth and prosperity through Tom, demonstrating her rejection of spiritual values for the goal of achieving material wealth. The eyes and the advertisement also suggest the decay of the Americ... ... middle of paper ... ...ruption and vice in American society, but merely acts as an observer. The inability to achieve the American dream and be able to move to a higher class is due to the abandonment of religious values and the immorality of civilians. Myrtle was ultimately unable to be prosperous and have the wealth she always wanted because she had to cheat on her husband. Wilson uses the idea of G-d being the billboard watching over the Valley of Ashes as an excuse to take revenge on the man he thinks killed his wife. Gatsby dies without achieving his goals because his methods of earning money and building up his life were illegal. Fitzgerald uses eyes as a means to convey the loss of spiritual values in America, the corruption of America’s people, and the hollowness of the American dream. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print.

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