The Role of Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald has been praised for its striking portrayal of the Jazz Age and its use of symbolism, as the book employs symbols in a multi-level manner. Fitzgerald delivers repetition of images and things to signify such abstract concepts as hope, corruption, morality, and disillusionment. These signs add substance to the novel and confirm its criticism of the American Vision. This symbolism in The Great Gatsby is a focal point of establishing the spark of illusion, corruption of morals, and meaninglessness underneath the waving surface of money.

The symbol-green light by the dock of Daisy Buchanan is among the most important ones. To Gatsby, the light is his fantasy of reuniting with Daisy and having the final satisfaction. Gatsby stretches towards the light in one of the most prominent moments in the novel, showing the desire Gatsby has in his life (Fitzgerald 23). Even the green light symbolizes the larger American Dream, expressing how diligence can make one happy and prosperous. The light, however, is always far and represents the inaccessibility of dreams. By so doing, Fitzgerald demonstrates how hope inspires ambitions, as it may also blind one to reality, only to be disappointed.

The other prominent symbol is the valley of Ashes, an unfruitful industrial wasteland that separates New York City and West Egg. This desolate scenery masks social and ethical decadence, worth disguising under the glitz of the rich (Fitzgerald 26). Although the wealthy elites live in luxury, the working citizens dwelling in the Valley of Ashes are deprived of luxury and believe they make ends meet below the poverty line, such as George and Myrtle Wilson. The valley is symbolic because it represents a point of corruption and inequality that supports wealth seeking in the novel. It is a straightforward contrast to the mansion of Gatsby and the gatherings of East Egg to remind the reader that the American Dream is based on misuse and inequality. The latter type of setting makes the approach of Fitzgerald toward the condemnation of the society where material success is valued instead of right, and the human factor more accurate.

A worn billboard bearing the giant Doctor T. J. Eckleburg eyes is gazing out over the Valley of Ashes. The eyes, which remain “blue and gigantic” behind yellow eyeglasses, inspire the sensation of always being seen (Fitzgerald 31). Most novel readers read them as an indicator of moral or God-like judgment. George Wilson identifies them with God when he calls out the words “God sees everything,” which betrays shallowness and fissures of the spiritual existence of the characters. In a world where money replaces actual values, the billboard is an otherworldly reminder that actions still have consequences. Fitzgerald employs the image to mark how little proper moral direction there is in an appearance-fixated, money-fixated culture.

Fitzgerald, through the symbols, goes further to criticize the American Vision. The green light is interpreted as the sign of hope, then inaccessible desire; the Valley of Ashes symbolizes the price of the materialist world, and the eyes of Eckleburg symbolize the lack of objective morals. A combination of these symbols shows all that was hollow about the Dream, and depraved by its dreams. In the case of Gatsby, the dream that drives him to the goal, instead of to its goal, turns out to be tragic, which indicates the Dream itself is bad (Irawan et al. 107). This is also echoed in the symbols to wider American society, where the notions of success and prosperity are usually compromised through ideals of inequality and vices of American culture.

The Great Gatsby remained composed through the 1920s, although its condemnation of the American Dream is highly relevant today. In America, growing income inequality and diminishing social mobility contradict the notion that hard work is sufficient for success (Irawan et al. 110). One of the issues perpetually reflected in the Valley of Ashes includes poverty and destruction of the natural setting, as such problems exist. Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's eyes link from one commentary to another, the dangers of a place where looks take precedence over truth, where everyone is not really in charge. Using such powerful symbols, Fitzgerald ensures that the issues in the novel travel outside its original context and to the contemporary reader.

The Great Gatsby is presented in such a way that the American Dream loses its role as the victim of assessing materialism, social atrocity, and eventual disappointment. The rise and fall of Gatsby discredit the ideology that money and status are the key to achieving fulfillment by revealing how such a venture would create the effect of corruption and tragedy. The emptiness of the Dream and its applicability in the present day are reflected in the symbols of the novel, characters, and even the motifs. Finally, the narrative forces the reader to wonder whether the American Dream can be fulfilled, or whether the unsanitary promise is never one to see yet is always there, just like the green light.