The Valley Of Ashes
The Valley of Ashes was based on the Corona dump in Queens:
““A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and
rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” - The Great Gatsby
Symbolism• Stark contrast from the lavish lifestyle
of East and West Egg
• Represents the decay of morality
• A place for the rich to throw their waste, excesses, and sins
• Reality in sharp contrast to the American Dream
• Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, lives there—sinful acts are shrouded in ash
Once a swamp and then an ash dump, the ground of the Iron Triangle in Willets Point, Queens, now feels like both. Its businesses have an
unacknowledged ancestor within one of the greatest works of American literature.
The Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg
•The eyes see the sinful acts in the Valley of Ashes
•They watch over the characters
•Judgment? Does anyone care?