List the four main settings in the novel. Provide a description for each setting and explain what each setting represent
- The four settings are East Egg, West Egg, New york and the valley of ashes
The valley if a very run down and dirty valley. It has few actual running businesses. It is allegedly looked over by the bill board of Doctor Eckleburg who is thought to be a god. The valley of ashes represents the illusion of the american dream. This is because the American Dream states that if you work hard you will get the pay and reward you deserve. However this is not the case in the valley of ashes. Most people there work really hard and get not much out of it meaning the american dream is an illusion.
West egg is described as this: the – well, less fashionable of the two, though this is the most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. West egg represents the people with new money. People live here if they made money themselves through either being a bootlegger or having a legal successful job/business. This is where Gatsby and Nick live.
East Egg is more fashionable then West Egg. It represents the people that have inherited the money from their ancestors. West Egg is also a part of the illusion of the american dream. The people living there have not worked hard for their money so they are an illusion of the american dream. This is where Tom and Daisy live.
New York represents the quest to find money. Everyone there wants money but they often can’t get that. New york is said to be an escape from Long Island for most characters. It is an escape from the oppressiveness.
- How two of these settings helped me understand illusion in this novel.
Valley of ashes: Valley of ashes helped me realise that the american dream that is so positively talked about is an illusion. This is because most people living in the dumps of the valley of ashes work really hard and get no reward or hardly any money for it. QUOTES
East Egg: East egg also helped me to understand the idea of illusion in the text. This is because everyone whom lived there had always been rich and had not worked for their wealth. This is because they inherited their money from their ancestors. This means the whole idea of the american dream is an illusion.