The contrast between chapter 1 and chapter 2 is striking. Whereas the first chapter sets the stage for the importance of wealth to our characters, chapter 2 begins with the description of the valley of ashes – “where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens.” Overlooking the valley are the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg – a dilapidated billboard though “dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.” The eyes representing the eyes of God continue to witness all that passes even though God’s image may become ever more removed from daily life.
Tom and Nick are heading to New York on the train when Tom suddenly forces Nick off the train in order to meet his mistress, Myrtle. Tom flaunts his affair and doesn’t seem to care even if Daisy knows. Myrtle, who is trapped in the valley of ashes, seems to be transformed once they arrive at the apartment in New York. As if by changing clothes she leaves behind her lower-class lifestyle and adopts a new personality mirroring Tom’s sense of social superiority.
All this quickly changes though when Myrtle, emboldened by whisky taunts Tom by shouting Daisy’s name. He quickly breaks her nose by striking her with his open hand. Tom seems to be putting Myrtle in her place by insisting that she doesn’t have the right to mention Daisy’s name. Perhaps thinking that if his wife’s name is not mentioned his infidelity is justified. If Tom is capable of this kind of violence what else might he be capable of? So many things in the novel seem to call upon the reader to fill in the blanks. This is evident in the ambiguous ending to chapter 2.
I have often been asked why we selected The great Gatsby for our Big Read book. I usually respond that it is because we are a community in Indiana we felt the book’s contrast between Nick’s Midwestern values and the big-city East Coast values would be of interest to our community. The more I read and explore the themes in The great Gatsby the more I see the similarities with life today. The all-consuming search for wealth and position during the 1920s is still evident today. People are still searching for the American Dream and this search still has a dark side. Take for instance, the fascination with the so-called “Pop Tarts” – Britney, Lindsey, Paris, etc. Their extravagant lifestyle and never ending parties takes them on the same kind of downward spiral that ultimately consumed Gatsby.
