Opening Question:
During the first chapter, you get an idea of how Nick was raised. Why do you think that he found an interest in Gatsby, being brought up the way that he was?Core Questions:
Page 23. Do you feel that the "valley of the ashes" symbolized the environment in which the poor people lived?
I feel that the "valley of the ashes" may symbolize the poor people's environment, but it may also symbolize other things such as America as a whole. It talks about "men who move dimly", "line of grey cars craws along an invisible track", and "passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene". These phrases, among others, give the place a sort of dreary, bleak feel to it so it could be the sort of slums in which the poor people live, but it could also be symbolizing something else like maybe corruption in America and how ultimately, everything here is about money in the end and we all just want to be rich.
Page 24. Why do you think the part on Doctor TJ Eckleburg's eyes on the billboard is in the story?
I feel that Doctor TJ Eckleburg's billboard eyes are crucial to this part in the story. Phrases such as "blue and gigantic" and "their retinas are one yard high" are scattered around this paragraph. The eyes give off an air of dominance, superiority, and vigilance. These eyes may be perceived as a good thing or a bad thing. I feel that the eyes may represent the people of higher social status and with more money. The eyes are looking down into "the gray land", maybe in a way on how a richer person would look down on a poorer person. The eyes may also represent growing commercialism in the U.S. and the valley of the ashes may represent everyone in America as sheep since ultimately what all the people in the valley or America (symbolically) want is money.
Ending Question:
If the story were being told in 3rd person instead of through Nick's eyes, would we benefit from this or is it better the way it is?
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