What I Accomplished

While I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the lavish comforts enjoyed by the characters in The Great Gatsby who lived on the Gold Coast, my project emphasized what I considered the most important theme which F. Scott Fitzgerald wanted to convey in The Great Gatsby. This is that the characters of the book sought comfort in luxurious tangible objects as measures of creating superficial shells of satisfaction. Having attained wealth, Gatsby himself shifted his focus away from materialism towards his desired relationship with Daisy.

The Valley of Ashes provides a sharp contrast to the East Egg and West Egg. It suggests that the American Dream is not always attainable and not readily available to everyone, despite attempts to escape struggle and poverty. I am proud that I visited the less glamorous neighborhoods. However, I was concerned about safety in more than one way. According to The New York Times, this is also the epicenter of coronavirus in the U.S., affecting this neighborhood "harder than almost anywhere else in the United States. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/nyregion/coronavirus-new-york.html