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The valley of ashes is symbolic of the class divided in 1920's American society, because its a grim dark and unhappy place located far away from the rich areas, and the metropolis, and it's inhabitants are mostly poor and sturggling.

The eyes and glasses of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are symbolic of the judgemental nature in human society, and the judgement in general as they look over the dammed area of the valley of ashes and all those who are brought near it know, that some form of judgement is upon them.

VALLEY OF ASHES

Valley of Ashes

The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg

The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes.

the valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of desolate land created by the dumping of industrial ashes.

Chapter 7 Cont.

Chapter 8

That locality was always vaguely disquieting, even in the broad glare of afternoon, and now I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind. Over the ashheaps the giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg kept their vigil but I perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away.

This is signifigant because it clearly symbolizes the glasses as a symbol for judgement, because Nick can feel the eyes paying attention to them almost as if they have all been called upon for judgement.

‘I spoke to her,’ he muttered, after a long silence. ‘I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window—’ With an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it, ‘—and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me but you can’t fool God!’ ‘

Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night.

‘God sees everything,’ repeated Wilson.

This is very important because, Wilson using the eyes as surrogate for god's eyes clearly shows that the eyes symbolize judgement. Judgement of the class difference, judgement of the weak willed. By using the eyes as a surrogate for the biblical god, the only one who can judge according to the bible, (but Simon Cowell is okay as well) Fitzgerald is openly stating that the glasses are a symbol of judgement

Chapter 7

We were all irritable now with the fading ale and, aware of it, we drove for a while in silence. Then as Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s faded eyes came into sight down the road, I remembered Gatsby’s caution about gasoline.

Symbol Statement:

Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's represent judgement in this part of the book, this mention come right after a chat about tom's judgemental nature, and Eckleburg is a symbol akin with judgement, as the eys judge over the vallley of Ash

Chapter 4

My understanding

He wouldn’t say another word. His correctness grew on him as we neared the city. We passed Port Roosevelt, where there was a glimpse of red-belted ocean-going ships, and sped along a cobbled slum lined with the dark, undeserted saloons of the faded gilt nineteen-hundreds. Then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us, and I had a glimpse of Mrs. Wilson straining at the garage pump with panting vitality as we went by.

The valley of Ashes is starting to be more and more representative of The class divide in the 20's. As we known from previous chapters it is the home of Myrtle Wilson, who her self dreams of grandeur and more money and getting out of the VOA, which aids to my theory that it is there to represent the fact that in 1920's American Society, there is no middle class

CHAPTER 2

FIRST VALLEY OF ASHES APPEARENCE

But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their retinas 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. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away.

Intial understanding on the VOA

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 and rising smoke and finally, with a transcen- dent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud which screens their obscure operations from your sight.

My first understanding both the glasses and the Valley of Ashes is that intialy, the valley of ashes symbolize the decay of society, and the entire societal differences. The west egg being sort of like the Garden of Eden, the valley of ashes are were all the depravity is. Eckleberg however symbolizes some form of higher being judging this decay and filth.

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