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Moral Decay In The Great Gatsby

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Moral Decay In The Great Gatsby
The description of the valley of ashes shows how glorified the Eggs look compared to the other cities in New York. The Eggs hide their depravity behind a fake life of parties and big houses.
Fitzgerald includes the billboard of the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg to further emphasize the moral decay that has been shown through ought the book. The eyes symbolize that someone is always watching you, causing a guilty conscience to make a person make better decisions when faced with obstacles.
Myrtle treats her husband, Wilson, very poorly. She acts like Wilson is only there to boss around and walk over.
When Wilson is described as being coated with white ashen dust, it gives the effect that he is an old, worn down man that is innocent. Wilson doesn’t

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