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The green light on the dock :
- Gatsby stretching his arms towards the green light
- Nick only sees the green light when Gatsby tries to reach it (mysterious)
- At the beginning, the green light symbolizes Gatsby's dreams, hopes and desires to reunite with Daisy. However, the symbolic meaning is removed from it, it collapses
- Gatsby's dream is revealed to be unreachable (he cannot reach the green light, only stretches out to it)
- Gatsby's dream is dashed : it stops being something that is his alone (American Dream)
- The color green is associated with wealth / money, valley of ashes
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The valley of ashes :
- Desolated land created by dumping ashes
- Loss of vitality, depression
- Figurative prison of poor social class
- Stands for the forgotten poor underclass who enables the lifestyle of the wealthy few
- Place of hopelessness and of giving up : those who cannot connive their way to the top are left behind to stagnate
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The Occulist's Board (eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg) :
- Personification : blue eyes, yellow glasses
- Foreshadows the tragic events to happen
- Always watching : eyes of God
- Symbolizes the corruption of America's people : eyes stare down at main characters, Tom and his affair, Gatsby when he drives with Nick to meet Wolfshiem, ...
- Hollowness of the American Dream : looks down at the valley of ashes, the dream is one bid lie, not everyone can be rich