dle-class house surrounded by mansions of the elite just as his ordinary lifestyle was intertwined with upper society. “There was a sharp line where my ragged lawn ended and the darker, well-kept expanse of his began (p.78).” Nick knew that he did not belong to the aristocratic community that he mingled with daily. People enjoyed Nick, and he enjoyed scrutinizing them. Eventually, Nick even grew weary of trying to understand the motives of others.The symbolism in The Great Gatsby plays an immense role in plot. It binds the true significance of the story to the text. “…wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square (p.24).” Nick often makes reference to Tom physically controlling people. Here, and in many other illustrations, Fitzgerald uses symbolism for characterization purposes. More importantly, symbolism is used to further the understanding of the theme. In order to get in and out of the city, a train must be boarded; the train passes through an area referred to as the “valley of ashes”. Towering over the waste-land is a billboard with T.J. Eckleburg looking over the land. George Wilson, the owner of a shabby garage shop in the valley of ashes, refers to the eyes on the billboard as the eyes of God. The valley of ashes symbolizes that the world has become an isolated desert consumed by the manufacture of wealth. God looks down aimlessly over this grotesque land, seeing his subjects worship money, and He no longer able to care.Nick, Gatsby, Tom, Daisy, and Jordan were all born in the west and moved east. This goes against the usual metaphorical move from east to west, as practiced by the first explorers of our country. The east to west movement is often in search of serenity and utopia, while enduring the lack of luxury items. In The Great Gatsby, the movement to the east provokes an op...
