English Literature (9675) | F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

Welcome to The Great Gatsby: A Study of Place

Hello future literature expert! F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is not just a story about a wealthy man and his tragic love; it is fundamentally a story about where people live and what those places mean.

In this chapter, we will focus on Unit 2: Place in literary texts. This means we are analyzing how settings—from vast geographical areas to a single mansion—shape the characters, drive the plot, and represent Fitzgerald's commentary on American society in the 1920s.

Don't worry if geography isn't your favorite subject! In English Literature, "place" is less about maps and more about symbolism and social identity. Let's dive into the glamorous (and hollow) world of the Jazz Age.

1. Setting the Scene: Time and Socio-Cultural Context

The story is anchored firmly in a specific time and location, which is crucial for understanding its themes.

Key Locations (and Times)

The primary setting is Long Island, New York, during the summer of 1922. This era, known as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, is characterized by:

• Economic Boom: Sudden wealth, often generated through speculation or illegal activities (like Gatsby's suspected bootlegging).
• Moral Looseness: A break from traditional values, characterized by lavish parties, excessive drinking (despite Prohibition), and infidelity.

The locations are not just backdrops; they are saturated with this atmosphere of reckless spending and moral decay.

2. The Core Geographical Divide: East Egg vs. West Egg

The central conflict of The Great Gatsby is represented geographically by the two opposing peninsulas on Long Island, separated by a bay of water. This is the most important concept related to place in the novel.

2.1 East Egg: The World of "Old Money"

East Egg is the home of Tom and Daisy Buchanan. It symbolizes inherited wealth and established social standing.

• Social Class: They are Old Money. Their wealth has been in the family for generations. They don't need to show off; their status is inherent.
• Representation of Place: Fitzgerald describes East Egg houses as solid, formal, and traditional—often referred to as "white palaces." The sense of place here suggests permanence and entitlement.
• Character Connection: Tom and Daisy are protected by their place. Their wealth allows them to be careless, knowing they can retreat back into the fortress of their inherited status after causing damage (e.g., Tom’s affairs, the hit-and-run).
• Think of it like an antique vase: very valuable, difficult to acquire, and its beauty is tied to its history.

2.2 West Egg: The World of "New Money"

West Egg is the home of Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. It symbolizes recent, often ill-gotten, wealth.

• Social Class: They are New Money. Gatsby earned his money quickly (and illegally). He attempts to buy his way into the world of East Egg.
• Representation of Place: Gatsby's mansion is a huge, elaborate imitation of a French hotel—it is flashy, excessive, and sometimes described as "raw." It’s built for immediate impact, not for deep, historical significance.
• Place as a Setting for Relationships: Gatsby uses his mansion as a tool—a stage for parties meant solely to attract Daisy's attention. His entire physical place is a monument to his romantic quest.
• Think of it like a brand new luxury car: very expensive, very fast, but lacks the deep roots and acceptance of the "old" families.

Memory Aid: E and W

To remember the difference:
East Egg = Established & Elite.
West Egg = Working (or striving) & Waits for acceptance.

Key Takeaway: The geographical separation of the Eggs establishes the novel's central theme of social class. The small distance across the bay symbolizes an insurmountable social barrier that Gatsby can never truly cross, despite his wealth.

3. Symbolic Locations: Decay and Danger

Beyond the two glamorous Eggs, Fitzgerald creates other crucial locations that represent the darker side of American industrial progress and moral recklessness.

3.1 The Valley of Ashes

This desolate, industrial wasteland lies halfway between the fashionable suburbs and New York City.

• Specific Geographical Significance: It is described as a "fantastic farm" where ashes take the form of houses and chimneys. It is a literal dumping ground, representing the consequence and waste generated by the wealthy elite in the Eggs.
• Natural World and Despoliation: The Valley shows the despoliation of the natural world due to unchecked industry. It is a place of poverty, desperation, and grime, contrasting sharply with the clean, white opulence of East Egg.
• Social Identity: This is where people like George and Myrtle Wilson live. Their placement in society (low social class, industrial workers) is directly linked to this decaying, neglected setting.
• Tragic Connection: It is the setting for the novel's fatal accident, underscoring that the recklessness originating in the Eggs has deadly consequences in the world of the poor.

The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg

Hanging over the Valley of Ashes is a huge billboard—the faded, spectacled eyes of an optometrist.

• Representation of Place: These eyes are inert, but Nick suggests they look down with a kind of moral judgment. They act as a silent, unblinking witness to the moral compromises and suffering occurring in this location.
• Did you know? George Wilson refers to them as the eyes of God. This shows how the geographical location (the place) inspires a deep, albeit misplaced, spiritual significance for those who live there.

3.2 New York City (The Plaza Hotel)

The city acts as a space of moral escape and heightened emotion.

• Setting for Human Relationships: The city is where the illicit relationship between Tom and Myrtle is conducted. It is a place of wild, anonymous parties (where Nick first sees the moral chaos).
• Political/Emotional Space: The climax of the novel occurs in the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Moving the confrontation from the private homes to the public, pressurized space of the city amplifies the tension and ensures the emotional explosion cannot be contained.

Key Takeaway: The Valley of Ashes and NYC complete the geographical triangle: wealth striving (West Egg) meets inherited power (East Egg), and both collide in the space of consequence (The Valley) or the space of confrontation (The City).

4. Place, Identity, and the Idea of "Home"

The syllabus highlights the importance of the idea of home and homeland and how people are placed in society. In Gatsby, houses reflect identity, but few of them are true homes.

4.1 Gatsby’s Mansion: The Façade

Gatsby's house is described in lavish, over-the-top detail. Yet, it never feels like a place where someone lives comfortably.

• Not a Home: It is a giant, beautiful, hollow stage set. Gatsby uses it to host hundreds of people he doesn't know. He only bought it because it was located directly across the bay from Daisy’s house.
• Distorted Homeland: Gatsby's goal is not to find a "home," but to recapture a specific moment in the past—a five-year-old memory of Daisy. His place is therefore dedicated entirely to an unrealizable ideal.

4.2 Nick’s Cottage: The Observer’s Position

Nick's place is the smallest and most "unassuming" cottage next to Gatsby's palace.

• Placement in Society: Nick is both part of this wealthy world (he’s related to Daisy) and yet financially modest compared to the others. His physical placement—next door to the spectacle—gives him the perfect position to observe and judge the chaos.
• His cottage is a temporary residence, mirroring his temporary participation in the glamorous life of the Eggs.

Common Mistake to Avoid

Do not just say Gatsby’s house is "big." Explain why it is significant in terms of place: it signifies his New Money status, his desperate attempt to buy social acceptance, and its function as a temporary stage rather than a true home.

5. Language and Representation of Place

Fitzgerald is famous for his beautiful, highly sensory language. How he describes the settings tells us exactly how we should feel about them.

5.1 Descriptions of Opulence

The language used to represent East and West Egg often involves words like "white," "glowing," "marble," and "gorgeous."

• Emphasis on Appearance: The descriptions are often focused on the surface beauty, reflecting the era's focus on outward appearance over inner morality. Nick notes how even the air around the Buchanans’ house seems "fragrant."

5.2 Descriptions of Desolation

The language used for the Valley of Ashes is heavy, dirty, and depressing, using words like "gray," "powdery," and "dumping ground."

• Sensory Contrast: This linguistic contrast between the shining Eggs and the gritty Valley emphasizes the moral division in society. The places are literally described as being from two different worlds.

5.3 The Green Light

While symbolic colors often go beyond the scope of "Place," the Green Light must be understood in relation to its geographical position.

• Place as Distance: The light is physically located at the end of Daisy’s dock (East Egg). Gatsby stands on his lawn (West Egg) reaching for it across the water.
• This use of language represents the geographic distance between the two places as a metaphor for the emotional and social distance between Gatsby and Daisy, making the setting essential to the ultimate heartbreak.

Final Encouragement: Analyzing "Place" in Gatsby is about seeing how the American Dream became fixed in real estate. Once you understand the symbolic weight of East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes, you have cracked the code to the novel’s social commentary! Keep asking: How does the location affect the character’s fate?