Henry David Thoreau once said, "Men have become the tools of their tools.
statement very closely follows the underlying meaning of the Great Gatsby. What Mr. .
Thoreau is saying in his statement is that men no longer have stability over what they used .
to control. That idea, is indirectly portrayed throughout the Great Gatsby through the .
symbolic character of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. In this paper, I will be analyzing the purpose .
behind the character of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg and the symbolism behind him. .
Fitzgerald often uses the word careless in describing the characters and events in .
the Great Gatsby. There seems to be no fear of consequence or judgment on the part of .
the characters. This setting begs the question of who is doing the judgment? That is, in .
part, what the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg are intended to do. The eyes are always mentioned .
whenever Nick is there. They look over the situation, objectively, but offer a kind of .
judgment on the characters and their actions. They are placed near Wilson's because that is .
where some of the most selfish acts take place: Myrtle's death, Tom's affair. All of these .
crimes go unpunished. So the eyes look on and remind the characters of the guilt that they .
forget to have for what they have done.
The beginning of chapter two dives directly into the symbolism of Dr. T. J. .
Eckleburg. Fitzgerald describes him as having "blue and gigantic" eyes, but these features .
have no face. The symbolism of the color blue in this stanza interprets to mean deeply .
and profoundly religious. The use of the color blue also gives Dr. Eckleburg the powerful .
characteristics of a God figure. Dr. Eckleburg having no face and a "nonexistent nose" .
relates to the theme of the degeneration of American. Fitzgerald is saying that America is .
so far lost that even "God" has been forgotten and neglected. The idea of the "nonexistent .
nose" is a way to subtract from the greatness of God. Now God is not only negligent, but .