The Valley of Ashes

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the valley of ashes as a symbol to remind us that even though our story takes place within the rich East and West Eggs, that there is without a doubt a lower class that suffers at the expense of 1920's commerce and modernism. With descriptions such as "grotesque gardens" and "crumbling" men, it is without a doubt that this is a bleak and melancholy environment ignored and left to rot. With consumerism and greed leaving a trail of poverty, the citizens of the valley of ashes are the products of this world. Outcasts who do not fit into the societal norm of lavish living are left in a ditch with no way to get out- perpetually sinking further down.
This can be applied to our current lives as well. Having lived in wealthy suburbs of large cities such as Plano and Troy, it was hard to see past the blinds of prosperity created by the infrastructure, safety, and community. However, it was frequently brought to my attention that even in such places, there are those who are struggling to get by. For example, many kids still need free lunch since they don't have the finances to afford it themselves. Unfortunately, this gap and inequality will never be resolved, as the gap between rich and poor will continue to increase as more generations are conceived. I believe that it is important to keep these things in mind. After all, Thanksgiving has just passed and is a perfect time to reflect on all of the blessings we have in life to be able to be born into such social and financial statuses. I believe that Fitzgerald did this to not simply build onto the character of the world in which Gatsby lives in, but to also allow the reader to reflect on his or her own life and world.