y's East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby's West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in Chapter One reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal. Because Gatsby's quest for Daisy is largely associated with the American dream, the green light stands also as a symbol of the American dream. In chapter nine, Nick compares the green light to how America, rising out of the ocean, must have looked to early settlers of the new nation. Another symbol used in the book was the ?valley of ashes.? The valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of empty land created by the dumping of industrial ashes. It represents the moral and social decay that happens because of a pursuit of wealth, as the rich care only about their own needs and wants. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the troubles of the poor. Understanding the symbols in the novel is only half the challenge, it is very important to have an idea of the roles of each main character.The title character of The Great Gatsby is a young man, around thirty years old, who rose from a poor childhood in rural North Dakota to become extremely wealthy. However, he achieved this goal by participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities. Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, travels to New York in 1922 to learn the bond business. He lives in the West Egg district of Long Island, next door to Gatsby. Nick is also Daisy's cousin, which enables him to observe and assist the love affair between Daisy and Gatsby. As a result of his relationship to these two characters, Nick is the perfect choice to narrate the novel. Partially based on Fitzgerald's wife Zelda, Daisy is a beautiful young woman from Louisville, Kentucky. She is Nick's cousin and the object of Gatsby's love. Each character plays an i...
