Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby

Throughout the entirety of the 1920s, most Americans primarily valued monetary power and wealth because of the common belief that prosperity and contentment were inextricably intertwined. After World War I had ceased, society began to replace realism, pragmatism, and personal values with the illusion that opulent material possessions could provide a physical comfort that would satiate their desire for happiness. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald provides a vivid and candor depiction of this thirst for affluence that resonated in most American people. This is especially evident in Fitzgerald’s eminent description of the ‘valley of ashes’. Fitzgerald not only uses heady details, intense images, and specific diction throughout this passage …show more content…
The once beautiful landscape, now known as the ‘valley of ashes’, is filled with “ghastly creaks” of industrial vehicles, “ash-grey men” covered by the byproduct of polluted factories, and “grotesque gardens” in which thickening smoke and ash grow ubiquitously (23). Fitzgerald chooses to include such an evocative and notable description of the ‘valley of ashes’ because it displays an acute representation of his view towards American life. He emphasizes an extremely pessimistic perspective and is irrevocably distrustful of human sincerity and integrity. Almost all individuals in The Great Gatsby are motivated by self-interest, look only to reap financial rewards, and romanticize the American Dream which evidently causes the destruction of their seemingly flawless lives. The ‘valley of ashes’ signifies not only the physical deterioration that is occurring beneath the prepossessing facade of the East and West Egg but also this emotional, personal, and moral decay that arises incessantly within both Eggs. It is a potent symbol of failure, exemplifying the repugnant consequences of obsessing over opulence to those wealthy few who blindly overlook reality and