Locations as Metaphors in The Great Gatsby
F. Scott's Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby often uses locationsas metaphors for the qualities of the characters and for the themes of thenovel. This occurs with West Egg and East Egg, where the distance betweenthe two sides represents Gatsby's distance from Daisy, his longing for hisdream, and the fact that the dream may not be attainable. West Egg andEast Egg also represent the differences in the characters of Gatsby andDaisy, especially communicating that Gatsby's attempts to reinvent himselfcan only take him so far. The valley of ashes is also important because itcontributes to the theme of the novel by showing the result of wealth. Theall-seeing eyes of the billboard looking over the valley of ashes alsorepresents that the characters cannot escape judgement. These metaphorswill now each be discussed in more detail to show how Fitzgerald uses them The first metaphor occurs with West Egg and East Egg, two egg-shapedislands lying opposite each other and separated by a bay. West Egg is theisland where Gatsby lives and also the less fashionable of the two islands. While West Egg is less fashionable, it is also the more real of the two
This lightis a metaphor for the longing Gatsby has for Daisy, and represents how heis focused on following that light. It is described as, "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take to the forms of houses and chimney and rising smoke, and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air" (Fitzgerald 19). The images of ash-grey men and everything covered by ash is also suggestive of death anddecay. The valley of ashes is a desolate area that has to be travelled through toget from West Egg to New York. The setting is a major contrast to the bright and easylife of West Egg and East Egg. This is an important metaphor because it represents the finalresult of wealth. Just as the characters haveto travel through the valley of ashes on their way to New York, so theywill eventually have to deal with their own deaths. This creates a sense that the valley ofashes is a result of that bright and easy life. In contrast, East Egg isall mansions, with the sense of elite making it the least real of the twoislands. The other important meaning of the valley ofashes is that it represents how it will all end for the people of West Eggand East Egg. West Egg can be considered as representing Gatsby'scharacter because it is the side of new money and the people there arecloser in character to those of the real world. This is narrated saying, "they look out of no face, but,instead, a pair of enormous yellow spectacles" (Fitzgerald 19). Hislonging is captured by the way he gazes across the bay at the green light"that burns all night at the end of your dock" (Fitzgerald 94).
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