The Valley of Ashes
Then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us… -Nick Carraway
The Valley of Ashes, The Great Gatsby (2013)
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There is a huge contrast between the Eggs and the valley of ashes. With the dark, pewter image of the valley of ashes against the glimmering picture of the Eggs, the symbol of the contrast (and of ashes) becomes vital to the nature of the novel.
Nick's tone turns darker are more somber in the valley of ashes, rather than the dream-like awe of the Eggs. |
Throughout the Novel...
"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." (23)
"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. " (24) "I followed him over a low whitewashed railroad fence, and we walked back a hundred yards along the road under Doctor Eckleburg’s persistent stare. The only building in sight was a small block of yellow brick sitting on the edge of the waste land, a sort of compact Main Street ministering to it, and contiguous to absolutely nothing." (24) |
The Valley of Ashes, The Great Gatsby (2013)
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"One of the three shops it contained was for rent and another was an all-night restaurant, approached by a trail of ashes; the third was a garage — Repairs. George B. Wilson. Cars bought and sold. — and I followed Tom inside.
The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Ford which crouched in a dim corner." (24-25)
"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." (68)
The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Ford which crouched in a dim corner." (24-25)
"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." (68)
Relevance
Ashes are a symbol of death and poverty. The ashes in the novel are representative of reality. With this in relation to Gatsby's parties and the Eggs, the ashes are where the real events take place. The area is under the examination of Eckleburg, who examines the good and evil. When the residents of the Eggs believe they live in superiority, the ones in the ashes work to survive.
The ashes hold significance by showing a reality of the American lifestyle. The notable events of Myrtle's nose injury and death, Gatsby's confrontation with Tom, and the conversation with Wolfsheim are the tense parts of the story. Nick describes the area as a wasteland, and its purpose shows suffering. Their reality is survival and it shows, with contrast, how superficiality dominates the upper class region of society. An example of this would be Gatsby's desire for money to attract Daisy, or even how Tom pushes around Wilson to gas up his car.
The rich image shows a dream that those in the ashes cannot reach. As a result, they endlessly work to survive.
The ashes hold significance by showing a reality of the American lifestyle. The notable events of Myrtle's nose injury and death, Gatsby's confrontation with Tom, and the conversation with Wolfsheim are the tense parts of the story. Nick describes the area as a wasteland, and its purpose shows suffering. Their reality is survival and it shows, with contrast, how superficiality dominates the upper class region of society. An example of this would be Gatsby's desire for money to attract Daisy, or even how Tom pushes around Wilson to gas up his car.
The rich image shows a dream that those in the ashes cannot reach. As a result, they endlessly work to survive.
Reference (Pre-1925)
"And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes." (Esther 4:3)