The board is miraculously not covered by ash like everything around. Another prominent aspect of the Valley of Ashes and, possibly, the only bright spark in it, is the giant advertisement board of the optometry with the disembodied blue eyes looking down to all the Valley. The very description of the Valley of Ashes symbolizes here the underworld. The valley of ashes is a desolate area of land halfway between West Egg and New York. It is where ashes and smoke rise from the chimneys of businesses and … His voice is as dull as the rest of his appearance. Wilson, on the contrary, lacks colors. It represents dreary isolation from wealth and deceitful behaviors from the citizens. In The Great Gatsby , there are two main towns: East Egg and West Egg. What does the valley of ashes symbolize? But why the author placed it here? Click again to see term 1/6 The Valley of Ashes symbolizes the moral decay that Fitzgerald saw behind the facade of wealth and happiness. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy. At first time Tom started a very unsetting affair here after threatening the husband of her mistress. They are too high to reach, almost in Heavens – but if someone climbs as high (as Gatsby did) they will see that these people are fake, flat and shallow like the advertisement board with a pretty picture on it. Of course she didn’t have time to wash the ash from her hair and face. The Valley of Ashes functions as a foil to the luxury of East and West Egg, and as a result, the ash can be understood as the conditions of … He is also the only one to arrange the funeral of Gatsby. At first he calmly takes gratitude from the policeman (who was intended to fine them) and explain to Nick that the police here knows him because he has connections and helped them with something illegal, possibly drugs or alcohol. In the very final of the story, when Gatsby is in the pool, we see him completely broken. It represents the lost hopes and dreams of people who have failed to live up to the American Dream. Neither of them thinks about it, they are unable to admire and enjoy their own money parading in front of them. Those who live in the valley of ashes, including the Wilsons, are stuck in poverty. But as we could see before, the ash, evil and corruption aren’t limited by geographic location. The only person he is glad to see at the funeral is Gatsby’s father, who, despite his own flaws, came to say farewell to his son. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. a. ugliness and decay of society after world war i b. the consequences of failing to maintain city centers c. an industrial area between west egg and new york d It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. What does the Valley of Ashes symbolize? The Valley of Ashes First introduced in Chapter 2, 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. The shadow realm, separated from the world of living beings by the river Styx. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. A billboard with a pair of bright blue eyes wearing glasses looks over the valley of ashes. The author deliberately underlines the contrast between the barren wasteland of the Valley and the bright world of Tom and Nick. The area is described as the precise geographical location where the ashes from New York City fall. The passengers have to observe the ashen landscape for all this time. The valley of ashes in "The Great Gatsby" symbolizes lifelessness and darkness. This fact is the last straw for Nick who now sees with his own eyes, how irredeemably flawed these people is. Valley of Ashes represents absolute poverty and hopelessness. Its an area where all the factories' ashes fall and leave the area filthy. People have to drive through here to get to the rich parts of town. The Valley of Ashes itself possess a symbolic meaning, as it is representing a very poor region between West egg and East egg, "ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke" (23). The midway point between East Egg and West Egg, and a stop between these wealthy locations and New York City, this is where the working-class reside. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg are present on a billboard in the Valley of Ashes. It covers all the city, all the deranged and hypocritical society that created the physical Valley. The bitter irony is that they are businessmen and the products that the barges transport are their direct income depends on the ships that annoy them so much. Ashes symbolize a spiritual ‘letting go’ of the fire of suffering, found in an all too real human mortality. In “The Great Gatsby” the Valley of Ashes is everything that is not the world of the riches. If New York City represents all the "mystery and beauty in the world," and West Egg represents the people who have gotten rich off the roaring economy of the Roaring Twenties, the Valley of Ashes stands for the dismal ruin of the people caught in between. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result. This image is very powerfully described by the author and all the readers will definitely remember it. Entering is a symbol of wealth and status made up of the City refers to the parts. Duty of every person with at least some morals inside by what does the valley of ashes symbolize `` Log in '', you to! 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