The Valley can also be interpreted as a foreshadowing to the demise of Gatsby. To get to West Egg one must travel through the valley, a journey that Gatsby ventured every time he drove into the city. The people that lived in West Egg were relatively new to having money, they made plenty very quickly and were not used to the new wealthy status. As a result, the Valley can be seen as what has happened to society and the values that it used to hold. No longer is working hard for your money the only option, now they can get rich fast, however at the same time, lose their morals along the way. .
Another symbol used in the novel to embody the American Dream is the green light located at the end of Tom and Daisy Buchanans' dock. This green light represents Gatsby's ultimate aspiration: to win Daisy's love. Nick Carraway's first vision of Gatsby was when he:.
Stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have swore he was trembling I glanced seaward - and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been at the end of a dock . .
Gatsby associates his lust and jealousness for daisy with the green light. The light is a constant reminder of his desire to be with Daisy. She is like a trophy, a prize that he would like to win to complete his whole materialistic dream. Once Daisy and Gatsby reunite and begin a new relationship, a mist conceals the green light, foreshadowing that they were never meant to be. Nick observes, "Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one" . This image suggests Gatsby realizes he must face the reality of Daisy, rather than the ideal woman he has created in his mind. The green light also indicates Gatsby yearning to be rich and his belief in the American Dream, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us" .
