Metaphor and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby The Valley of Ashes / The American Dream Rollins AP Lang, Spring 2014

Symbolism  Symbol: a thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract.  We assign meaning to symbols. Thus, the symbolic meanings of an object or action are understood depending on when, where, how, and by whom they are used.  For example, a chain could symbolize unity/strength or imprisonment.

The Valley of Ashes  Read the article by Roger Starr.  What was the actual ‘valley of ashes’? What does it represent in The Great Gatsby?

The American Dream  Read “Are the Rich Happy?” by Stephen Leacock  What is the ‘American dream’?  The dream, according to Fitzgerald: individualism, discovery, the pursuit of happiness  What is the ‘American dilemma’?  Consider the extravagance/excess of the Jazz Age

The American Dream in Gatsby  Discuss Nick’s attitude in chapter 9  [Klipspringer] was one of those who used to sneer most bitterly at Gatsby on the courage of Gatsby’s liquor…” (169)  “After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that…” (168)  “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy…” (179)  How do Americans idealize ‘success’ (power/wealth/leisure)?  How does Gatsby idealize his dream (Daisy)?  How does the unworthiness of the objects ruin these dreams?

D’Angelo’s Book Club  Watch the clip from The Wire, beginning at 0:  What is Fitzgerald saying about 'The American Dream' in the ending of The Great Gatsby?  How do you interpret the final line of the novel?  “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly back into the past.” (180)  How would your opinion of the novel change if the book ended with Gatsby and Daisy living happily ever after? Although that ending might be a “happier” ending, would it be authentic? Would it make the book better? Why or why not?