Valley Of Ashes In 'The Great Gatsby'

571 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The great gatsby what is the valley of ashes

Dat Huynh IB English Literature September 21, 2017 C12 Commentary 4 The selected passage introduces the scene of valley of ashes, Fitzgerald shows the readers the contrast of the locations. After describing West Egg and East Egg in chapter one, the illustration of dark, dim and muted town serves as the direct contrast of the wealthy places. Unlike the other locations, the valley of ashes is the town of poverty, where everything is covered in ash, lacking the beauty of life. This represents the concealed society underneath the prosperity, the town that its existence makes the West and East Egg much greater and richer. Through the usage of bleak imagery and irony, Fitzgerald exemplifies represents the moral and social decay that results from belonging to the lower class, as the rich only worry for their pleasures. …show more content…

Much of it comes from industry: factories that pollute the area around them into a “grotesque” and “ghastly” version of a beautiful countryside. Fitzgerald gives no life to the valley making everything in the valley to be covered by ashes literally and figuratively. The Valley of Ashes turning regular humans into “ash-grey men” who “swarm” like insects around the factories and cargo trains. The ash and dust, is not only a reflection of the corruption of the American dream, but of the negative consequences of the pursuit of the American dream. The Valley of Ashes also embodies the decline of spiritual life and the degradation of values associated with the vulgar pursuit of wealth. Images of death and hopelessness are associated with the valley of Ashes, and this describes the consequences of striving to move up the social

Show More
Related

  • How Does Myrtle Use Social Class In The Great Gatsby

    460 Words  | 1 Pages

    “This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys”(Fitzgerald 2). Tom and Nick a driving through a place between West Egg and New York, which is an industrial zone where the lower class lives. Here alone we can see how the poor class lives their daily lives in filth, but the rich live in shiny clean houses.

    Read More

  • Great Gatsby Device Connection to Meaning

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this quote, the Valley of Ashes is portrayed as a “desolate area of land” where the glory of West Egg and New York are separated by a valley characterized as “grotesque,” dim, and “crumbling.” Fitzgerald includes this setting to describe important characters, such as Myrtle Wilson, who have an extreme influence on others because they are considered impoverished and trashy with no class. The Valley of Ashes symbolizes despair and poor lifestyles, which is why Myrtle is able to be used by Tom, who, in disdain, no longer shows feelings for his wife. The road is also personified to represent those who reside in the West Egg, who are snobby and want nothing to do with the poor.

    Read More

  • The Human Conditions in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1974 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The ‘Valley of Ashes’.symbolizes the human situation in an age of chaos. It is ‘a certain desolate area of land’ in which ‘ash-grey men’ swarm dimly, stirring up ‘an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight.’” (Dyson 113). Nick thinks of the place as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills into grotesque gardens” (Fitzgerald 23). And that is exactly what it is, since it’s a barren land of human waste.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Manipulation In The Great Gatsby

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, paints vivid picture of the lives of upper and lower classes together and their interactions during the Roaring 20’s. Fitzgerald does this by showing the readers the true nature and purpose behind the upper class and the manipulation they use against anyone lower than them. An example of this manipulation would be Tom Buchanan, a wealthy man married to Daisy Buchanan, lying George Wilson, a lowly poor individual running a mechanics shop, about selling a car, just to see the man’s wife. This poor man, Wilson, lives in “The Valley of Ashes”, an almost desolate area on the way to New York from West and East Egg. This valley is a representation of the manipulation and reckless behavior of the upper class. Through The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald paints a picture of the 1920’s by portraying the upper class as immoral and careless through their actions, and their opinions.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby - Eden Imagery

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is Myrtle Wilson’s gaudy, flashy hotel paradise in which she can pretend that she is glamorous, elite, wanted and loved. She clings fiercely enough to this ragged dream to brave the righteous anger of Tom Buchanan by voicing her jealous terror that he will return to his wife. There is a desperation to her full, spirited style of living, she wants so much to escape the grey, dead land of the Valley of Ashes that she colours her life with any brightness she can find, be it broken glass or diamonds. Nick describes land she finds herself in as a wasteland, a desert, saying "this is the Valley of Ashes -- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air" (page 29).

    Read More

  • Parallelism In The Great Gatsby

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Valley of Ash, the least described region of the book, is an impoverished region connecting the prosperous, the wealthy New York City and the wealthier Long Island. The neighborhood is a “dismal scene” (23), which Nick Caraway is forced to view every time he rides the train into the city. The name valley of ash is an informal name deriving from the sheer quantity of ash, littering the city. Ashes cover and define everything in the city: the “ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”, the “houses and chimneys”, and the “men”. Similarly, the residents of the valley are hardly characterized by Caraway, because he cannot understand them. The smoke “obscures” and “obfuscates” the actions of these men both literally and figurative: a rich man like Caraway cannot understand the pure and intolerable poverty. The residents of the valley are plain and not very interesting. Most predominately featured ...

    Read More

  • Parallelism In The Great Gatsby

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    He reveals how separated the American culture is as a whole. F Scott Fitzgerald uses figurative language to shape the portrayal of the setting by contrasting light vs. dark, comparing the Valley of ashes to the East Egg. For instance, Fitzgerald quotes, “where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills”, utilizing a simile to exaggerate and emphasize that the ashes are taking the form of hills, which essentially is all trash. The ashes are a symbol of the hopeless and dead, the social corrosion that is yielded from the unrestricted pursuit of wealth, as the upper class nourish themselves with regard simply to self pleasure. Fitzgerald states, “where ashes take the form of houses and chimneys”, a form of imagery that gives the audience a visual aid to emphasize how prevalent the ashes are. These claims prove that the valley of ashes is a darken city bewitched with poverty and illness. With the pile of ashes growing larger, the classes of society further disjoin, removing their opportunity to escape and acquire their American Dream. By Fitzgerald using figurative language it makes the storyline come alive in the readers mind. He symbolizes certain emotions within the reader to embody and visualize the contrast between the Valley of Ashes and the East Egg as if we were there with them. Scott Fitzgerald also uses figurative language to

    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

  • Wealth and Class in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fitzgerald uses setting to criticise society’s loss of morality and the growth of consumerism after the Great War. The rise of the stock market in the 1920s enabled business to prosper in America. However, although the owners of industry found themselves better off wages didn’t rise equally, causing the gap between the rich and poor to grow markedly. Parkinson argues that the settings “represent [these] alternative worlds of success and failure in a modern capitalist society”. The valley of ashes symbolises this failure and moral decay, acting as a foil to the affluent “world of success”, East Egg, and highlighting that the lower classes must suffer to support its existence. This setting is introduced in Chapter 2 and is described as where “ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”. The personification of the environment creates the sense that these failures are rooted in the land, suggesting that poverty is an inescapable part of American society. This is emphasised through the use of tripling which creates a sense of endlessness. By describing the men who live there as “crumbling through the pow...

    Read More

  • Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour,” (23) In The Great Gatsby, between the East Egg and the West Egg, lay the valley of ashes. Though not literally consisting of ashes, the area gets its nickname because of the industrialization of the area as well as the smog from the smokestacks decorating nearby factories that thickens the air. The valley of ashes is an effective symbol of the uselessness of succeeding in achieving The American Dream.

    Read More

  • Betrayal In Gatsby

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    The addictive consumption of being rich or trying to be rich is what makes this book reflect what the 1920s was really all about. From the Valley of Ashes all the way to the elite East egg, Fitzgerald gives a realistic insight of how he perceived the world to be at the time.“The materialism of the East creates the tragedy of destruction, dishonesty, and fear. No values exist in such an environment” (Telgen 71). Fitzgerald created all these locations to show just how different every social class was. The West Eggers are distasteful always buying flashy things to show off while the East Eggers are sophisticated and classy. The Valley of ashes is where the poorest people in the book live, Fitzgerald’s description makes it this gray town where ash is everywhere and the men there are dirty and repulsive. Lasty, the most corrupted place in the book where the prostitutes linger around and mobsters have control over everything, New york city. Understanding the huge social division in this book is important because of the significance of actual occurrences in history, since the 1920s America has come a long

    Read More

  • Gatby Symbolism Essay: Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour”(Fitzgerald 28). This is representation of the social classes and how the wealthy not only perturbedly but physically ruined the townspeople. In pursuit of their own success and happiness the affluent individuals have no regard for the others that are being dragged through their path. The valley of ashes also represents not only the rich hurting others, but themselves and making their souls hollow. In result of this it overall symbolizes hopelessness and

    Read More

  • The Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby Analysis

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    To reverse the setting and corresponding tone of good wealth and high fortunes, Fitzgerald utilizes the setting of Valley of Ashes. Described as "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges” (Fitzgerald 23), the Valley of Ashes represents the lower class and poverty. It is a “solemn dumping ground" (Fitzgerald 23), symbolizing the upper class destruction and the way they exploit the hard working "ash-gray men" (Fitzgerald 23). Thus, the established atmosphere delivers hopelessness of acquiring the profound and well known American Dream. The "grey land" (Fitzgerald 23) that covers the Valley of Ashes is very significant as it indicates depression, sadness, misfortune, and persistent poverty. In addition, the ashes illustrates their

    Read More

  • Essay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    The valley of ashes is “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent efforts, or men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (23). Here, The Valley of Ashes is regarded as complete destitution and hopelessness. The people known as the lower class do not wish to live in the valley of ashes. This is why people, like Myrtle try to do anything to get away from it but instead it becomes unachievable for them.

    Read More

  • Relationship With Nature In The Great Gatsby

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    “This is a valley of ashes – ... where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air"().

    Read More

More about Valley Of Ashes In 'The Great Gatsby'

Open Document