Embedded Files
Important quotes
Important quotes
“But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic — their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose.” (Fitzgerald 23)
“But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald 24).
"Now I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind. Over the ash heaps, the giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg kept their vigil, but I perceived, after a moment, that other eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away" (Fitzgerald 124).
"I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’” Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night. “God sees everything,” repeated Wilson. “That’s an advertisement,” Michaelis assured him. Something made him turn away from the window and look back into the room. But Wilson stood there a long time, his face close to the window pane, nodding into the twilight" (Fitzgerald 159-160).
Summary
Summary
The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckelburg first appear in The Great Gatsby as described by Nick while he is in the Valley of Ashes. They continually are described as huge, and pale, while dimming as they look over the solemn grounds of the Valley of Ashes. The eyes are watching, always described as awake when Nick says, "Over the ash heaps, the giant eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg kept their vigil," explaining how the eyes persist even while everything else is unaware and oblivious (124). The eyes see the corrupt and amoral actions and motives of the characters in the story. The eyes are continually watching, no matter what, appearing in the story when the characters are faced with a problem or conflict. The true personalities and roots of each character are seen by the eyes, and cannot be hidden from their view.
Analysis
In the book, The Great Gatsby, T.J. Eckleburg's eyes are rarely seen, but when they are, they give off powerful energy. Earlier in the book, the eyes are dismissed and seldom mentioned, but as the book goes on, a key meaning appears. The morning after the death of Myrtle Wilson, Mr. Wilson is grieving and says something interesting: "I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’” Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night. “God sees everything,” repeated Wilson" (159). Wilson believes that God is watching him and saw what happened that tragic night. He also trusts that God will be watching him when he murders Gatsby. These eyes are believed to hold power and watch over everything. The eyes bring out the truths that are attempted to be hidden by these corrupt characters and they create a sense of accountability for one's actions. Characters, like Mr. Wilson, manipulate the eyes to adhere to his wishes. These eyes cannot be tricked by the characters, and see everything. These eyes are a representation of an immortal presence that holds accountability and truth over the characters in the story.
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