VofA

• Valley of Ashes


  Symbolises the moral decay, the 'crumbling', that Fitzgerald observes behind the facade of wealth and happiness in East and West Egg
• Valley of Ashes


  • Where the poor live, condemned to exist in the ashes of the excessive material consumption of the wealthy - highlighting the theme of the excesses of the wealthy
  • The area is grey and lifeless ,'Grotesque' in its barren lack of hope
  • And is a fitting location for key tragic events in the text
• The eyes of Doctor Tj Eckelburg, a billboard advertisement for an optometrist


  Survey the result of the failed 'American Dream' and perceive the reality behind the appearances of a supposedly respectable
• The eyes of Doctor Tj Eckelburg


  Symbolise the themes of the futile 'American Dream' and Illusion versus Reality
• The billboard is perceived to be 'god' by George Wilson


  Suggesting that people worship consumerism over religion and now have lost their moral values