The Great Gatsby Commentary
Content
THE GREAT GATSBY
COMMENTARY ON THE VALLEY OF ASHES
This extract from Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby introduces to us a new setting, the
Valley of Ashes. This new setting gives a very unique dystopian feel to the whole of
chapter 2. This extract is one of the most important passages in the novel as it is also
the first time we see George Wilson – a new character, who is the husband of Tom
Buchanan’s mistress Myrtle. Our narrator describes the Valley of Ashes in a very
cinematographic style using alliteration and words which are associated with life and
beauty which is ironic. This extract emphasizes on cars and their importance in this
extract as well as the entire novel. This extract also describes the eyes of Dr. T. J.
Eckleburg and compares it with those of God.
This extract starts off with Nick saying where the Valley of Ashes is located, “About
halfway between West Egg and Ney 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.” The Valley of Ashes is like a no man’s land situated at the heart of the
American society. The phrase, ‘shrink away’ implies that people are trying to ignore that
place, as if it does not exist. Nick goes on to describe it as, “a fantastic farm where
ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.” The word fantastic
gives us a feel as if it is a fantasy which is not real. Ashes are connoted to death and
funeral and it is ironic that something organic and so full of life like wheat and
“grotesque gardens” is used to describe it. Also the alliteration on fricative sounds in a
‘fantastic farm’ and ‘grotesque gardens’, and use of words like ‘crumbling’ play an image
in the readers minds of a disgusting and foul place which is decaying . He also says,
“Occasionally a line of gray cars crawl along an invisible track.” The grey cars refer to
the industrial dump trucks that arrive every day to dump the industrial waste; the
description of these dump trucks is just like somber cars at a funeral. The Valley of
Ashes is presented as a literal and metaphorical dumping ground which also shows
signs of corruption and adulteration in the Great American Dream. This part of the whole
extract which describes the Valley of Ashes is very cinematographic and the ideas keep
on building up just like ash does.
In the Valley of Ashes, a very old advertisement displaying the eyes of Dr. T J Eckleburg
is also described. The eyes are described to be “blue and gigantic” which stare through
“yellow” spectacles. The colour yellow is very significant in this extract as well as the
whole novel; yellow colour in this novel is associated with corruption. The connection
between the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg and God may exist only in George Wilson’s
grief stricken mind. Wilson, who is the husband of Tom Buchanan’s mistress, later in the
novel says that “God sees everything.” God is associated with Dr. T J Eckleburg
because he watches everything just like God is supposed to be all knowing and all
seeing. He should be benevolent and kind and should be omnipresent. Dr. T J
Eckleburg is indifferent and dispassionate. Also, no one knows what God looks like; all
the images that the people have seen up till now are nothing but perceptions of other
human beings just like how no one knows what Dr. T J Eckleburg looks like, all that the
readers know about him is his eyes. This lack of concrete significance contributes to the
unsettling nature of the image.
Cars, during that time, had just been started to mass produce on assembly line. Cars
were a sign of rashness and recklessness. At that time there were no traffic rules,
people did not know how to drive. This resulted in a lot of accidents. Cars were
associated with destruction and death as well.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan is presented as a beastly person.
When he wants Nick to meet his mistress, he forces Nick out of the car. Nick says, “He
jumped to his feet and, taking hold of my elbow, literally forced me from the car. Tom is
shown as forceful and having a licentious behavior. He is also shown as being
promiscuous. He also cheats on Daisy on their honeymoon. He likes to have his
mistresses from the lower classes, which shows that he likes being in control. He also
shows hedonistic behavior when he hits Myrtle and breaks her nose. Nick also says,
“Though I was curious to see her, I had no desire to meet her.” Nick had no problem
with Tom having a mistress but he wanted nothing to do with her 1. This shows that Tom
is violent to get his own way; in addition to that he also drinks a lot.
Another major character who is introduced to the readers is George B. Wilson. He is,
unfortunately, the husband of Tom Buchanan’s mistress – Myrtle. He is described as a
“blond, spiritless man, anemic and faintly handsome.” He is also one of the few people
who live in the Valley of Ashes, he owns a garage; this is foreshadowing the car crash
which will eventually kill Myrtle. He is also quite intelligent as later in the novel, he finds
out that his wife is cheating on him.
In conclusion, the Valley of Ashes is projected like a dumping ground or a wasteland
which is inhabited by the underclass people. It is associated with death, decay and
corruption and is the underbelly of the American Dream. It is a piece of land that
everyone tries to ignore, as if it did not exist. It is a ‘foul dust’, product of the indifference
and carelessness that adulterates the purity of the original American dream. 2
1, 2
From the example commentary in the study pack
COMMENTARY ON THE VALLEY OF ASHES
This extract from Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby introduces to us a new setting, the
Valley of Ashes. This new setting gives a very unique dystopian feel to the whole of
chapter 2. This extract is one of the most important passages in the novel as it is also
the first time we see George Wilson – a new character, who is the husband of Tom
Buchanan’s mistress Myrtle. Our narrator describes the Valley of Ashes in a very
cinematographic style using alliteration and words which are associated with life and
beauty which is ironic. This extract emphasizes on cars and their importance in this
extract as well as the entire novel. This extract also describes the eyes of Dr. T. J.
Eckleburg and compares it with those of God.
This extract starts off with Nick saying where the Valley of Ashes is located, “About
halfway between West Egg and Ney 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.” The Valley of Ashes is like a no man’s land situated at the heart of the
American society. The phrase, ‘shrink away’ implies that people are trying to ignore that
place, as if it does not exist. Nick goes on to describe it as, “a fantastic farm where
ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.” The word fantastic
gives us a feel as if it is a fantasy which is not real. Ashes are connoted to death and
funeral and it is ironic that something organic and so full of life like wheat and
“grotesque gardens” is used to describe it. Also the alliteration on fricative sounds in a
‘fantastic farm’ and ‘grotesque gardens’, and use of words like ‘crumbling’ play an image
in the readers minds of a disgusting and foul place which is decaying . He also says,
“Occasionally a line of gray cars crawl along an invisible track.” The grey cars refer to
the industrial dump trucks that arrive every day to dump the industrial waste; the
description of these dump trucks is just like somber cars at a funeral. The Valley of
Ashes is presented as a literal and metaphorical dumping ground which also shows
signs of corruption and adulteration in the Great American Dream. This part of the whole
extract which describes the Valley of Ashes is very cinematographic and the ideas keep
on building up just like ash does.
In the Valley of Ashes, a very old advertisement displaying the eyes of Dr. T J Eckleburg
is also described. The eyes are described to be “blue and gigantic” which stare through
“yellow” spectacles. The colour yellow is very significant in this extract as well as the
whole novel; yellow colour in this novel is associated with corruption. The connection
between the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg and God may exist only in George Wilson’s
grief stricken mind. Wilson, who is the husband of Tom Buchanan’s mistress, later in the
novel says that “God sees everything.” God is associated with Dr. T J Eckleburg
because he watches everything just like God is supposed to be all knowing and all
seeing. He should be benevolent and kind and should be omnipresent. Dr. T J
Eckleburg is indifferent and dispassionate. Also, no one knows what God looks like; all
the images that the people have seen up till now are nothing but perceptions of other
human beings just like how no one knows what Dr. T J Eckleburg looks like, all that the
readers know about him is his eyes. This lack of concrete significance contributes to the
unsettling nature of the image.
Cars, during that time, had just been started to mass produce on assembly line. Cars
were a sign of rashness and recklessness. At that time there were no traffic rules,
people did not know how to drive. This resulted in a lot of accidents. Cars were
associated with destruction and death as well.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan is presented as a beastly person.
When he wants Nick to meet his mistress, he forces Nick out of the car. Nick says, “He
jumped to his feet and, taking hold of my elbow, literally forced me from the car. Tom is
shown as forceful and having a licentious behavior. He is also shown as being
promiscuous. He also cheats on Daisy on their honeymoon. He likes to have his
mistresses from the lower classes, which shows that he likes being in control. He also
shows hedonistic behavior when he hits Myrtle and breaks her nose. Nick also says,
“Though I was curious to see her, I had no desire to meet her.” Nick had no problem
with Tom having a mistress but he wanted nothing to do with her 1. This shows that Tom
is violent to get his own way; in addition to that he also drinks a lot.
Another major character who is introduced to the readers is George B. Wilson. He is,
unfortunately, the husband of Tom Buchanan’s mistress – Myrtle. He is described as a
“blond, spiritless man, anemic and faintly handsome.” He is also one of the few people
who live in the Valley of Ashes, he owns a garage; this is foreshadowing the car crash
which will eventually kill Myrtle. He is also quite intelligent as later in the novel, he finds
out that his wife is cheating on him.
In conclusion, the Valley of Ashes is projected like a dumping ground or a wasteland
which is inhabited by the underclass people. It is associated with death, decay and
corruption and is the underbelly of the American Dream. It is a piece of land that
everyone tries to ignore, as if it did not exist. It is a ‘foul dust’, product of the indifference
and carelessness that adulterates the purity of the original American dream. 2
1, 2
From the example commentary in the study pack
