Symbolism in the great gatsby = các hình tượng trong tiểu thuyết the great gatsby

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF LINGUISTICS & CULTURES OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES GRADUATION PAPER SYMBOLISM IN THE GREAT GATSBY Supervisor: M.A Văn Thị Thanh Bình Student: Đỗ Ninh Chi Course: QH2017 F1 E2 HÀ NỘI – 2021 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA NGƠN NGỮ VÀ VĂN HỐ CÁC NƯỚC NĨI TIẾNG ANH KHỐ LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP CÁC HÌNH TƯỢNG TRONG TIỂU THUYẾT THE GREAT GATSBY Giáo viên hướng dẫn : M.A Văn Thị Thanh Bình Sinh viên : Đỗ Ninh Chi Khoá: QH2017 F1 E2 HÀ NỘI – 2021 I hereby state that I: Đỗ Ninh Chi, QH2017.F1.E2, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts English language teacher education accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper Signature Date Signature of Approval: Signature of Approval: Supervisor’s Comments & Suggestions TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………… .i ABSTRACT……………………………………………………… ii PART ONE: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… 1 Rationale for the study ………………………………………………………… Scope of the study ……………………………………………………… 3 Objectives of the study ……………………………………………………… .4 Methods of the study ………………………………………………………………4 Design of the study ……………………………………………………… .4 PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT ………………………………………………… Chapter 1: Theoretical background ………………………………………… .6 1.1 An overview of symbolism ………………………………………………… 1.1.1 What is symbolism? …………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Characteristics of symbolism……………………………………………… 1.2 Symbolism in Literature ……………………………………………………… 1.3 The author and the novel …………………………………………………………9 1.3.1 The author: F Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940.……………………………….10 1.3.2 The novel: The Great Gatsby (1925) …………………………………….10 Chapter 2: Symbolism in The Great Gatsby …………………………………… 11 2.1 The green light ……………………………………………………… 11 2.2 The valley of ashes ……………………………………………………… 24 2.3 The eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg …………………………………………… 25 PART THREE: CONCLUSION ……………………………………………… 30 Contribution of the symbols to the implied messages ………………………… 30 Suggestions for further studies ………………………………………………… 33 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………… .34 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to my supervisor, Van Thi Thanh Binh, M.A for her support as well as her constructive comments and suggestions during my research process I am also grateful to my classmates, my friends, and members of family who stimulated me a lot in finishing this thesis They have become the greatest source of motivation since I decided to carry out the research My mom and dad had supported me well with healthy food and the best conditions for studying at home My best friends including Nhu Phuong, Nguyet Ha and Lan Anh tried to give me meaningful advice and lift my spirit up when I felt discouraged though we were far away from each other Last but not least, I want to send my sincere thanks to the online library system of University of Languages and International studies where I could find a variety of previous research in the field of Literature Without these useful references, I would not be able to have a clear plan and effective guidance for my thesis project i ABSTRACT Symbolism has been considered to be one of the most important rhetorical devices which have a great contribution to the success of a literary work It is also an effective way for the author to convey the meaningful underlying messages to the readers “The Great Gatsby” is highly regarded as one of the most imperishable proses of American Literature written by F Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 In this novel, the writer used a wide range of objects and images which carry symbolic meanings to demonstrate his abstract ideas This research aims to investigate different symbols that appear in “The Great Gatsby” including “the green light”, “the valley of ashes” and “the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg” These symbols play significant roles in developing the plot of the novel and contributing to the revelation of the implied messages The way they are interpreted varies depending on the chapter in which they appear as well as the perception of readers Therefore, these mentioned symbols will be thoroughly explored in specific chapters so that readers can have a multidimensional view of their meanings in particular situations and understand more about the author’s profound hidden messages All the quotes used to analyze the symbols in this paper are extracted directly from the novel The study also provides several possible suggestions for further research of the same field Key words: F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Symbolism, The green light, The valley of ashes, The eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg ii PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Having been acquainted to Literature since early school years, Vietnamese students still find it hard to learn a literary work even in their first language It is a common phenomenon that traditional literature classes provide students with theoretical knowledge related to the author, the context, main content and analysis and make them cram all of these boring things for exams Because of this invisible pressure, many students are unable to realize how the content and the art of writing in a literary work can be created Exploring literature on the surface will not bring any values, but as we start to work on such figures of speech as metaphors, symbolism, similes that the authors intentionally use, we will find out the underlying meaning layers In most literary works, it is rarely seen that writers use explicit meaning to convey the content with the use of a word or some words Instead, they intend to utilize implicit meaning to draw a situation or a condition Therefore, symbolism is considered an important element adopted in literature to help readers have a deeper understanding of a specific composition Figurative language in general and symbolism in particular have always been inspiring and intriguing topics of many studies Not only is symbolism used as a literary device in fiction writing but it also appears in everyday life communication For example, the use of different symbols in organizations creates the sense of versatility of their work, development or brand promotion In a love relationship, a man tends to give his woman a bunch of flowers on special occasions since flowers represent affection and love Each type of flowers also carries its own meaning as well: roses are the symbol of true love and romance; white flowers are for friendship, violets imply shyness, lilies signify beauty and attraction and yellow ones mean hatred In the world of literature, symbolism is regarded as an indispensable element in delivering in-depth thoughts of the writer to readers Firstly, by using symbolism, the writer has the freedom to give a detail of his work different interpretations Thus, the independent thinking ability among readers can be fostered by virtue of the process that they experience when trying to interpret the author’s text Marc Chagall, who was one of the most successful artists of the 20th century said “If a symbol should be discovered in a painting of mine, it was not my intention It is a result I did not seek It is something that may be found afterwards, and which can be interpreted according to taste.” Symbols also has a strong correlation with the themes of a literary work as they serve as a guidance to explain and deliver multiple versions of a theme For instance, “morality and ethics” is one major theme in the novel “The Great Gatsby”; however, readers may not know what to think about these aspects if it is not because of the existence of Doctor T J Eckleburg advertisement billboard, which embodies the moral emptiness in the society at that time One more important function of symbolism in literary works is that it reveals the way the author views the world as well as his individual perspective towards different objects and events With all the reasons mentioned, symbolism is undoubtedly a significant aspect that needs more concerns and investigation Regarding the source of symbolism, literature is considered an authentic one where an abundance of symbols can be found Though it is produced mostly on the basis of imagination, the writer subtly inserts many fractions of the real life in his works As a result, readers will be able to approach symbols from both “ordinary and extraordinary” viewpoints The masterpiece “The Great Gatsby” written by F Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 is highly praised by many seasoned writers and critics all over the world In this novel, the author applies a lot of symbols which scatter through the whole novel with pivotal roles in expressing the implied meanings that the author wants to convey to his readers Zhang (2015) commented that “Fitzgerald is affected greatly by the 1920s’ flourishment of symbolism and we can see that from his famous work, which is regarded his most mature work whether on the thought or on the writing techniques” He also stated that “The employment of symbolism makes his work go beyond the she got married to Tom With regards to Daisy, financial stability and high social status were considered her priorities, which indicates that she was a type of materialistic woman The narrator, Nick also had his own valley of ashes as he felt so disgusted to witness the cruelty and indifference of other characters including Tom, Daisy, visitors in Gatsby’s parties and more towards Gatsby that he decided to leave New York and eventually underwent a psychological treatment to forget everything Though the valley of ashes inside Nick and Gatsby were different in terms of their roots, they both became the victims of the society in which wealth and privilege determined the way people would be treated All the characters mentioned, regardless of their valley of ashes, have one thing in common They had to suffer from the mental strain that they created on their own because of their ambition and obsession In this sense, they seem to deserve more empathy than criticism The second time the valley of ashes appears in the novel is in chapter Gatsby and Nick were on their way passing the valley to have meals Unfortunately, Gatsby was chased by a cop because he had violated the speed limit However, he flashed his mysterious get-out-of-a-ticket-free card which kept them safe Then, Gatsby asked Nick to arrange a date with Daisy for their first reunion after years “I'm going to make a big request of you today," he said, pocketing his souvenirs with satisfaction, "so I thought you ought to know something about me I didn't want you to think I was just some nobody." Then the valley of ashes opened out on both sides of us, and I had a glimpse of Mrs Wilson straining at the garage pump with panting vitality as we went by With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through half Astoria only half, for as we twisted among the pillars of the elevated I heard the familiar "jug jug-spat!" of a motor cycle, and a frantic policeman rode alongside "All right, old sport," called Gatsby We slowed down Taking a white card from his wallet he waved it before the man's eyes "Right you are," agreed the policeman, tipping his cap "Know you next time, Mr Gatsby Excuse me!" "What was that?" I inquired "The picture of Oxford?" "I was able to the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year." (Fitzgerald, 2013, p.73-74) 22 We can all see that East Egg and West Egg play the role as the settings for the ridiculous extravagance of the old money and new money whilst Manhattan is the setting for business and organized crime That Gatsby waved the mysterious Christmas card at the policeman revealed the suspicious relation between justice executors and dark power It is not difficult to realize that Gatsby had involved in several gang businesses whose leader was Meyer Wolfsheim When asked by Nick about the card, Gatsby tried to cover everything up by saying “I was able to the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year.” Through his words, readers can dimly figure out that gang people like Gatsby were protected by people with high standings including the commissioner or police In this society, wrongdoings and laws violation could easily be overlooked if people had authority and money in their hands The next time that we see the valley of ashes is in chapter when George Wilson looked at the ash heaps and tried to find moral guidance “Wilson's glazed eyes turned out to the ash heaps, where small grey clouds took on fantastic shape and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind.” (Fitzgerald, 2013, p.170) The valley where people of lower classes lived and worked represents the deadlocks and miseries in their lives Not only the surroundings such as clouds or wind but also its inhabitants were covered in the suffocation and heat Because of this bad living condition, people had to withstand hard pressure both physically and mentally George Wilson, a man who came out of the gray world of ashy pollution and dust from factories, is the most typical example for those in the valley of ashes The word “fantastic” is also repeated not generally for describing the valley itself but the shapes of “small grey clouds” The valley of ashes has spread its extent from the beginning of the novel to the end The ashy color not only covers people, buildings and roads but also Wilson’s sky The combination of “Wilson’s glazed eyes” and the word “fantastic” accentuates the depression in his mental state He is undoubtedly a miserable sufferer in terms of living environment, finance and love life Though 23 worked restlessly, George and his wife still had to live in a dreary and polluted area like the valley of ashes with a small garage as the only asset The dream to get rid of this depressing situation was always kindled in their heads but without money, they can hardly anything It was partly because of poverty that Myrtle adulterated with Tom and betrayed George To conclude, the valley of ashes had badly affected characters who were closely related to it such as George and Myrtle In their spiritual life, the valley resembles a maze with no ways out despite their relentless effort to escape The last reference to the ash heaps is when George Wilson comes to murder Gatsby and commits suicide No telephone message arrived but the butler went without his sleep and waited for it until four o'clock until long after there was any one to give it to if it came I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn't believe it would come and perhaps he no longer cared If that was true, he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees (Fitzgerald, 2013, p.172) The word “fantastic” is repeated again to describe Wilson as “ashen and fantastic” gliding toward Gatsby It is significantly noticed that what threats the fancy world of people in the Eggs is the creeping encroachment of the ash which represent those they look down on and feel disgusted The reemergence of the valley of ashes in the last chapter conveys the author’s implied message about the inevitable consequences of immoral behaviors Even though people could afford to live in a luxurious mansion like Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, the image of an oblivious ashy valley wouldn’t stop chasing them With different meanings in each chapter, the reality in the 1920s was gradually revealed through the valley of ashes By researching this symbol, readers can find the correlation between it and the lives of characters in the novel To begin with, the valley of ashes represents the poor plight of the society People working there are factory 24 laborers who supply the extravagant lifestyle of residents in West Egg as well as make way for underclass criminals to prosper by creating fake bonds to cash in The valley is a place of loss, hopelessness and give-ups This region buries its inhabitants in pollution caused by industrial products and construction To illustrate, people, vehicles and buildings are all covered with the ash Myrtle Wilson is regarded as the only person who isn’t covered by the ash heaps because she is ambitious enough to seize Tom as her last train ticker to pull her out of the gray dust Although George Wilson also tried to escape the ash heaps by moving to a different part of the state, he failed to achieve his plan He believed in Tom’s lies, which led him to kill Gatsby and quit his life forever In the valley, there is no existence of moral authority and instead, the ash heaps point to the march towards dissolution and death The valley of ashes links with the Biblical “The valley of the shadow of death” in Psalm 23 However, the presence of God makes this place safe and peaceful unlike the valley of ashes In this novel, George once sought a divine presence of God through the Eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg but ultimately was made desperate as no one was affected by the inanimate existence of this billboard Readers can clearly see the absence of a moral value system through the imagery of the valley 2.3 The eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg The eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg is the last symbol mentioned in this study Readers can see presence of the eyes in chapter 2, and respectively Its meaning is also alternated in each chapter, similar as the abovementioned symbols From a spiritual perspective, the eyes can be interpreted as the instinct sense of moral standards in a person or a representative for God It also links to the fate of the working class in the valley as they were both left behind in a miserable situation during the era of exponential industrial development In “The Great Gatsby”, “above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust”, hovered a giant billboard of bespectacled eyes - The eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg As placed near Wilson’s garage in the valley of ashes, it was faded from being 25 weathered and dust The writer F Scott Fitzgerald didn’t create this symbol in his imagination but based on a fact of the 1920s which was the popularity of optical advertisements Readers first come across Doctor T.J Eckleburg and his uncanny eyes in Nick’s description as he and Tom passed the valley to meet Myrtle But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg The eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their retinas are one yard high They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground… I followed [Tom] over a low white-washed railroad fence and we walked back a hundred yards along the road under Doctor Eckleburg's persistent stare "Terrible place, isn't it," said Tom, exchanging a frown with Doctor Eckleburg (Fitzgerald, 2013, p.26) The billboard appeared as “blue and gigantic -their retinas are one yard high” which helped it clearly look down on everything from above However, this billboard is quite eerie and disembodied with “gigantic eyes”, “no face” and “non-existent nose” It can be inferred that it is not a normal billboard but has been somehow personified to have a real character who can “look out”, “persistently stare” or even “exchanging a frown” with Tom The eyes appeared to be embracing its own concerns and discontent with immoral behaviors happening in the valley From a spiritual view, the eyes symbolize the inherent conscience inside each individual When a baby is born, he/she has no sense of what is right or wrong but God make it possible for the this to thrive According to Sigmund Freud, newborns are moral blank slates It is justifiable to say that humans all born with an honest heart and the most intact conscience However, as they are exposed to different factors regarding living condition, education and so on, their conscience begin to change in either a positive or negative way Standing at such a high position to advertise for a famous optometrist in Queens, the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg was now just an inanimate billboard faded by 26 decades of exposure to the sun as Queens had been transformed into an ashy valley with dust and pollution The fate of the billboard resembles the sufferings of the poor who resided in the valley of ashes They were left behind in the industrial and technological revolutions and isolated from flashy lives of new money and old money in Eggs Through Nick’s lens, the eyes appear to be a watchful observer and a symbol of life in which poor people in the valley had to combat every day However, from George’s perspective, the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg conceals a more honorable meaning, it can be interpreted as a visual representative of God in this land of sufferings “Have you got a church you go to sometimes, George? Maybe even if you haven't been there for a long time? Maybe I could call up the church and get a priest to come over and he could talk to you, see?" "Don't belong to any." Wilson's glazed eyes turned out to the ash heaps, where small grey clouds took on fantastic shape and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind "I spoke to her," he muttered, after a long silence "I told her she might fool me but she couldn't fool God I took her to the window " With an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it, " and I said 'God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing You may fool me but you can't fool God!' " Standing behind him Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg which had just emerged pale and enormous from the dissolving night "God sees everything," repeated Wilson "That's an advertisement," Michaelis assured him Something made him turn away from the window and look back into the room But Wilson stood there a long time, his face close to the windowpane, nodding into the twilight (Fitzgerald, 2013, p.170-171) Through the conversation between George and Michaelis, we can see that the eyes is no longer a normal billboard but carries spiritual meaning which represents the ultimate God Having suffered from both physical pain and mental breakdown, George became the most pathetic character in the novel At his worst moment, there was nobody beside for him to lean on except for the vehement belief in his inner soul For George, the billboard in the valley was now not merely an insentient object; instead, its presence was a mental therapy which saved his life in the most desperate 27 time Although George denied adhering to any religions, he had faith in God It is a common belief that when religious believers feel impotent or hopeless, they tend to reach for God as a patron in their spiritual lives Finding the way to God means having a safe refuge in the midst of stormy weather or a painkiller when the soreness attacks Thanks to this mental support, their souls can be eased and they would have more strength to confront life challenges ahead The image of God in the symbol “The eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg” is seemingly a feasible compensation for the loss caused by a period of decadence, flawed legal system and materialism That the spiritual meaning of the symbol (the eyes) was discovered by George who did not regard himself as a Christian proves that people, regardless of their religions, are entitled to rely on God or any mysterious power as a solid spiritual prop in miseries The way George looked closely at the windowpane, nodding into the twilight can be related to the way Gatsby standing in the darkness, gazing at the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock While the green light symbolizes the freedom to pursue happiness, the eyes represent religious freedom which had been forgotten in the Jazz Age Though having acknowledged that these dreams were unattainable, both Gatsby and George inscribed a strong belief in the brightness of “one day” Their tragic deaths at the end of the novel imply the collapse of American Dreams, which leaves readers a feeling of regret and empathy If the eyes in chapter represent an omniscient (or All-knowing) God, the eyes in chapter consolidate the assumption that there is a certain mysterious power behind this symbol They appeared again when Nick, Tom and Jordan stopped at Wilson’s garage to have their car filled with petrol on the way to Manhattan We were all irritable now with the fading ale and, aware of it, we drove for a while in silence Then as Doctor T J Eckleburg's faded eyes came into sight down the road, I remembered Gatsby's caution about gasoline….That locality was always vaguely disquieting, even in the broad glare of afternoon, and now I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind Over the ash heaps the giant eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg kept their vigil but I perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away 28 In one of the windows over the garage the curtains had been moved aside a little and Myrtle Wilson was peering down at the car.” (Fitzgerald, 2013, p.130) This time passing the eyes in the valley of ashes brought Nick a mysterious premonition that something bad would happen “I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind” He also saw Myrtle standing beside the curtains and staring down at their car All foresaw the tragic road accident taking Myrtle’s life away as she rushed out of her house to stop the speeding car that carried Gatsby and Daisy Her unfortunate death attributed to the fact that she had misunderstood the yellow car for Tom’s At that moment, she could hardly think thoroughly but tried to run as fast as possible to block the car which was her last ticket to get rid of the gloomy life with such an ignorant husband as George From the religious point of view, the eyes hold a miraculous power that is able to transcend over the space, time and the society development as well as to predict upcoming events in the future Although the writer does not concentrate on emphasizing this aspect of the eyes, readers have the opportunity to experience the sacrality and mysticism of religions through this symbol To summarize, in the world of The Great Gatsby, the voice for morality and justice tends to be insignificant People seem to be selfish, cruel and illusioned and they had no faith of any kind By using the symbol “The eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg”, the author subtly portrays a period of time when religion lost its place With the pair of watchful eyes which intently observed everything happening in the valley of ashes, the eyes can be linked to the innate sense of right and wrong embedded in each person The second symbolic meaning of the eyes derives from the similarities between its fate and that of the valley’s inhabitants They both suffered from the same miserable living condition, being forgotten in the heyday of consumerism and industrialization Lastly, the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg is a representation of a watchful God who stares down and judge American society as a moral wasteland 29 PART THREE: CONCLUSION The contribution of symbols to the implied messages of the novel In this part, how the symbols mentioned contribute to convey the implied message of the novel “The Great Gatsby” will be discussed in details Both themes and implied messages are indispensable elements in the creation of a successful writing In “A handbook to Literature”, Holmon and Hunt (1985) defined the theme of a work in Literature as “a central idea…the abstract concept that is made concrete through representation in person, action and image.” By means of these themes, the author can freely express his own views and attitudes towards a certain problem The most overriding idea that is raised throughout the process of theme development is called the message of the book In general, the writer tends to deliver the message in an implicit way; thus, readers are required to have an in-depth analysis of his implications in order to fully understand that message It can be said that the message of a literary work will not be found easily or located in a specific sentence; instead, it can only be revealed through reflection and a variety of means such as contrast, recurrence, presupposition and symbols In “The Great Gatsby”, symbolism is one of the most important literary devices that Fitzgerald used to denote the implied messages and create connections between readers and his work The green light has taken on a significant role in fulfilling these meaningful aims of the author If the symbol belongs solely to the man named Gatsby representing his yearning for happiness, it will be difficult to touch the hearts of readers or critics because they not share anything in common However, the author successfully bridged that gap as his readers can see their own reflection through the character Gatsby The more they are immersed in reading the novel, the more similarities they may identify between them and Gatsby in the sense of the relentless desire for love, wealth, and happiness These are considered basic elements that most people persistently want to pursue in their lives Another symbolic meaning that the green light implies is that it also represents bright future prospects of both Gatsby and readers For Gatsby, his long-cherished dream was an official wedding with Daisy in 30 Louisville where they originally met Across the novel, it can be clearly recognized that Gatsby willingly did everything in order to win Daisy’s heart, which is quite admirable Regarding readers in general, it is a natural tendency that people look forward to desirable events in the future which seemingly is the source of luck and contentment On the basis of these resemblances, the character-readers relationship becomes so close that readers can easily sob themselves with the ups and downs of Gatsby’s life, sympathize with what he had experienced and respect the grandeur in his personality It is likely that they are living the life of the main character, feeling the same happiness and pain with him This marks the moment when the relationship reaches its peak, indicating the roaring success of an author in the writing field In summary, the appearance of the green light in different chapters brings different aesthetic pleasures to the readers as well as accelerate the artistic values of the novel With the ingenious use of symbolism, the implied message that Fitzgerald wants to convey can finally touch the deepest layer inside each reader’s mind, making it such a long-established literary work regardless of time and distance In contrast to the beautiful green light, the symbol “the valley of ashes” reflects the unbreakable gap between the haves and not-haves, illusions and reality, the flashy appearance and the poor inner peace The valley highlights the intense contradiction in terms of colors, true natures, and emotions of a miserable place on earth in the readers’ perception Adjectives and phrases used to describe the valley such as “ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills…take the form of houses and chimneys and rising smoke…” evoke the feeling of fear and dullness, which makes readers constantly contemplate about the anxiety, disappointment, pain and loss that the characters experienced in the novel The symbol also reminds them of the cruelty hidden behind the bright sides of reality Due to the harsh laws of nature, the radiant green light in one’s conscience which represents life and hope can suddenly turn into the ashy valley, a place full of darkness moral emptiness and sufferings There goes a saying “Humans are scarier than ghosts or anything in this world” and I think that it is partly true in this situation By using the valley of ashes, the author emphasizes that 31 some people create perfect masks, for example a charming physical appearance or fake good manners to conceal their true evil nature inside Social and moral emptiness were among controversial and sensitive subjects in the 1920s which are not easy to be brought to discussion However, thanks to the metaphorical image of an ashy valley between West Egg and Manhattan, the reality of American society at that time appears to be quite clear and detailed in front of the readers’ eyes without the author directly mentioning about it But for this symbol placed beside “the green light”, “The Great Gatsby” would not have brought any practical lessons to the readers as it is far removed from real life It is undeniably the underlying intention of Fitzgerald as he simultaneously put these strikingly different symbols in his novel, which contributes to make it one of the most classic timeless proses written in the twentieth century The eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg can be associated with a bridge connecting two sides of illusions and reality symbolized by the valley of ashes or materialism and spirituality embodied by the green light Images captured by the eyes may be interpreted as the reflections of American society in the 1920s when religious belief lost its place and moral standards were deteriorated Thanks to the appearance of this symbol in the novel, the implied message about justice, karmas and moral senses of the author is conveyed in an effective way Although the frequency that the eyes appear is not high, Fitzgerald made a wise choice of appropriate moments to mention them in the novel This has a significant contribution to leave a strong impression on readers so that the memory about this symbol in particular and the novel in general will be kept in their minds in a long term These hypnotic eyes are also the inspiring image for the cover page which shows their importance in the novel From the perspective of readers, the symbol seems to be a good source of alleviation as they are overwhelmed by life’s ugliness It serves as a reminder that there always exists an invisible power to control everything around us The flow in each person’s life, either peaceful or chaotic, has already been decided; therefore, at times we have to accept the fact that “everything happens for a reason” Through the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg, such abstract themes as religion or morality are demonstrated in a more 32 meaningful and unique way than ever This devotes to make the implied messages of the novel imprint deeply in readers’ mind until later In a nutshell, the use of three symbols: “the green light”, “the valley of ashes” and “the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg” has made a significant contribution to unveil the implied messages of the novel Their appearances in The Great Gatsby have made it possible for the novel to attract popular and scholarly attention in a long period of time and become one of the most well-known classic novels which goes beyond all limits Suggestions for further studies Owing to the limitation of a course work dissertation, there should be further studies into different aspects such as metaphor, simile, irony, allusion and many other figures of speech as symbolism is only one kind of rhetorical devices used in the novel “The Great Gatsby” Furthermore, it is suggested that the link between the symbols and the literary culture as well as the context in the Jazz Age should be investigated thoroughly so as to accentuate the novel’s values Another possible suggestion for later studies is that apart from specific symbols like those mentioned in this paper, the symbolic colors also carry distinct underlying meanings that worth exploring In almost every chapter of the novel, the author intentionally used a variety of colors such as green, yellow, red, grey, gold, white, etc with different shades to give readers an insight into the lives and characteristics of the characters, making “The Great Gatsby” one of the most visual pieces of Literature of all time Therefore, it is advisable that this feature be added along with the analysis of the main symbols in order to make the process of interpretation more concrete and intensive 33 REFERENCES Abrams, M.H (1999) A Glossary of Literature Terms Heinle & Heinle Akter, S (2015) Symbolism: Theory, Function, Characteristics and Dimension Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/22080988/Symbolism_Theory_Function_Characterist ics_and_Dimension Allen M (2017) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc Bloom, H (2006) F Scott Fitzegrald’s The Great Gatsby New York: Chelsea House Cain, E.W (2020) American Dreaming: Really 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of Colors in The Great Gatsby Studies in Literature and Language, 10 (6), 38-44 doi:10.3968/7178 Zhang, R.H (1999) The symbolic meanings in The Great Gatsby Foreign Literature Studies, (2), 9-12 Zhao, N.S (2012) A brief analysis of the Holy Bible’s impact on the connotative meanings of color terms and their applications in literatures Overseas English, (1), 274-276 36 ... spiritual prop in miseries The way George looked closely at the windowpane, nodding into the twilight can be related to the way Gatsby standing in the darkness, gazing at the green light at the end... and the poor, the moral emptiness in the 1920s’ American society and the miseries that people have to suffer in their daily lives So, what is the valley of ashes in The Great Gatsby? On the literal... that appear in ? ?The Great Gatsby? ?? including ? ?the green light”, ? ?the valley of ashes” and ? ?the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg” These symbols play significant roles in developing the plot of the novel