The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about Jay Gatsby and his search for the American dream. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald focuses on materialism and the lack of social mobility. He alludes to the vice of American society and the abandonment of religion by incorporating the motif of eyes alongside the descriptions of the Valley of Ashes. Through the motif of eyes, Fitzgerald uses religion to provide commentary on the corruption of society and the failure to achieve the American Dream. When Nick first describes the Valley of Ashes, he mentions Dr. TJ Eckleburg's advertisement. Pay close attention to his eyes and the way they watch over the valley. The eyes of Eckleburg overlooking the Valley of Ashes symbolize the eyes of God observing the moral decay of American society: The eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg are blue and gigantic... They look not from one face but... from a pair of huge yellow glasses... Evidently some The wild prankster of an ophthalmologist put them there to fatten his practice... then he himself sank into eternal blindness or forgot them and walked away. But his eyes, a little clouded by the many days without paint, under the sun and the rain, meditate on the solemn landfill. (Fitzgerald, 27-28) The eyes represent God staring and judging American society as a moral wasteland. Just as the billboard is left faded and ignored after “many days without paint,” religion is neglected. Myrtle, one of the characters who resides in the valley, abandons typical religious beliefs by committing adultery and seeking to gain wealth and prosperity through Tom, demonstrating her rejection of spiritual values ​​for the goal of achieving material wealth. The eyes and advertisements also suggest the decay of America… middle of paper… brokenness and vice in American society, but they merely serve as observers. The inability to realize the American dream and to be able to move to a higher class is due to the abandonment of religious values ​​and the immorality of civilians. Ultimately Myrtle was unable to be prosperous and have the wealth she always wanted because she had to cheat on her husband. Wilson uses the idea of ​​God as a billboard surveying the Valley of Ashes as an excuse to get revenge on the man he thinks killed his wife. Gatsby dies without achieving his goals because his methods of earning money and building his life were illegal. Fitzgerald uses eyes as a means to convey the loss of spiritual values ​​in America, the corruption of the American people, and the emptiness of the American dream. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print.