The Great Gatsby laid out events in the 1920s, highlighting the vices in society. Racism, alcoholic, adultery, and many such societal problems were brought forth through the pretentious lifestyles of the characters in the book.
Each character was beautifully described in their social standing, acts, and characteristics; however, the most unique description was that of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg and the Valley of ashes.
"About half way between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. 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 transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight. But above the gray 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 irises 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. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground" (Fitzgerald 26).
Each character was beautifully described in their social standing, acts, and characteristics; however, the most unique description was that of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg and the Valley of ashes.
"About half way between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. 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 transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight. But above the gray 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 irises 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. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground" (Fitzgerald 26).
Though the valley of Ashes is just another location with less wealthy inhabitants, it's described with the motif of the color gray. This makes the place look solemn and burnt from all they adultery and corruption that has been going on. In contrast to the starkness, Dr. T.J. Eckleburg is described in brighter colors like yellow and blue to show the god-like nature of him as he watched over the valley. Also it's ironic that although he's an oculist, he's fallen into eternal blindness, yet he watches over everything.
I thought this description was very unique from the rest as it exemplified how geography divided social statuses.
No comments:
Post a Comment