What Does West Egg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had,” (Fitzgerald 5). The Great Gatsby, by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, is about the troubles of an elite society throughout the “Roaring Twenties.” Throughout the story there are several symbols that help Fitzgerald advance and help the quality of the plot and the themes of the novel.
First, East Egg and West Egg are the two cities on Long Island that contribute to the plot in The Great Gatsby. The two cities symbolize the line between the wealthy, greedy, higher class citizens and the less corrupt, lower class citizens. Tom Buchanan and Nick Carraway are an example of the many differences between East Egg and West Egg. Tom Buchanan is a wealthy corrupt man who throws his money at whatever his newest desire is, and

Daisy Buchanan is greedy and only cares about herself and what she wants in life. Whereas Nick Carraway is naive, innocent, and has yet to be corrupted by the wealthy. East Egg represents the old money with decades of corruption and scandals concerning the wealthy families. The West Egg symbolizes the “new money” and while has less money than the citizens in East Egg, uses the money for extravagant partying and drinking. “I lived at West Egg, the--well, less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them,” (9). East Egg and West Egg also symbolize the contrast and tensions between Gatsby and Daisy’s love throughout the story. In the beginning of the novel, their love was innocent and pure similar to the society of West Egg. Towards the end of the novel, Gatsby and Daisy’s love became corrupt and messy similar to the plot of the story. In doing this, Fitzgerald used the society of East and West Egg to further advance the plot of the novel and develop the theme of the story.
Secondly, the Valley of Ashes is an industrial wasteland and separates Manhattan and West Egg.

The valley symbolizes the difference between the higher class and lower class society. The lower class contains factories, run down buildings, mountains of trash and a working class community whereas the higher class is filled with elegant buildings, wealthy citizens, and extravagant lifestyles. “A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity,” (17). The term ‘ashes’ is not figurative and the land is covered in ash from the many factories that help supply the wealthy like Tom and Daisy, but hurts the lifestyle of those who live in the Valley of Ashes like, George and Myrtle Wilson. The story contains some irony in that the citizens of West Egg and East Egg look down on those who live in the Valley, but those who work and live in the Valley of Ashes contribute greatly to the higher class and their lifestyle. Fitzgerald uses the Valley of Ashes to advance the plot and enhance the theme of the story by expressing the poverty within this land and how it affects the

story.
Finally, the Green Light that is seen across the bay, separating West Egg and East Egg represents Gatsby’s lost love for Daisy. In the beginning of the novel, Nick Carraway watches Gatsby at the end of his dock reaching for the green light that is at the end of Daisy’s dock. “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay,” (Fitzgerald 85). This symbolizes his desire for her and how she is just across the river but so far away at the same time. The light at the end of the dock can also symbolize Gatsby’s hope for the future and his life with Daisy. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster; stretch our arms out further,” (193). The meaning of the light vanishes towards the end of the novel when Nick no longer lives in Long Island, Daisy and Tom are gone for good, and Gatsby is dead. Nick uses the green light after the death of Gatsby to symbolize hope for the future and for everyone in West and East Egg. The green light advances the plot and enhances the quality of the story because of the connection to the main characters Gatsby and Daisy which symbolizes their love.
The Great Gatsby, by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, is about the troubles of an elite society throughout the “Roaring Twenties.” Throughout the story there are several symbols that help Fitzgerald advance and help the quality of the plot and the themes of the novel including the green light that represents Gatsby and Daisy’s love, the Valley of Ashes that symbolizes the poverty and corruptness of West and East Egg, and finally West and East Egg which express the difference between innocence and a corrupt society.