T.J. Eckelburg is a billboard that is a prominent symbol throughout The Great Gatsby. “They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.” (Page 23). The billboard is an old and boring advertisement that symbolizes many things to different people. The eyes symbolize the loss of values, growing commercialism, corruption, and the hollowness of the American Dream. The loss of values is expressed when old-fashioned values are abandoned for wealth. The growing commercialism represents that life is all about money. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckelburg show the corruption of people such as Tom and Myrtle’s affair. The eyes look down on the Valley of Ashes as if to say that the American Dream is a big lie. It is hollow goal because even if you achieve your dream you still end up alone. The complexity to the eyes is that everyone has their own interpretation to what they stand for and they have to interpret what they stand for throughout the
T.J. Eckelburg is a billboard that is a prominent symbol throughout The Great Gatsby. “They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.” (Page 23). The billboard is an old and boring advertisement that symbolizes many things to different people. The eyes symbolize the loss of values, growing commercialism, corruption, and the hollowness of the American Dream. The loss of values is expressed when old-fashioned values are abandoned for wealth. The growing commercialism represents that life is all about money. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckelburg show the corruption of people such as Tom and Myrtle’s affair. The eyes look down on the Valley of Ashes as if to say that the American Dream is a big lie. It is hollow goal because even if you achieve your dream you still end up alone. The complexity to the eyes is that everyone has their own interpretation to what they stand for and they have to interpret what they stand for throughout the