Wednesday, June 2, 2010

East Egg Vs. West Egg





In the Great Gatsby, there are two cities, East Egg and West Egg, which are separated by the Valley of Ashes. What city you live in between the two, shows if you are from a wealthy family (East Egg) or if you are new to wealth (West Egg).

People in East Egg come from families that always had money. They're more snobby, greedy, and mean than people from West Egg, as those from East Egg are generally less-sophisticated, and a more innocent type of people, as they haven't been consumed by material possessions, money, and greed their whole lives. The Buchanans, for example, are a family of East Egg, which Tom Buchanan was born of a wealthy family, and the greedy Daisy, who married into this money. They have a very large mansion for a home, and are a somewhat of a stuck up family. East Egg is portrayed as corrupt in the novel, and and is moral-less, compared to the more humble West Egg.

According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the West Egg is "less fashionable" with "wide lawns and friendly trees." Most of the people that live in the West Egg have morals and ethics to live by, rather than their own money, such as Nick Carraway. After Nick does Gatsby the favor of reuniting him with Daisy, he offers Nick the chance to take part in Gatsby's business and earn more money. Even though Nick struggles to sell bonds, he politely declines, realizing that Gatsby was only returning the favor. This shows that Nick has dignity, and doesn't live off the image portrayed by how much money he has or makes.


Sources: The Great Gatsby

Sparknotes.com

12 comments:

  1. East egg and west egg are not separated by the valley of ashes, rather the bay or Long Island Sound. West Egg and New York is separated by the valley of ashes.

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    3. You are correct.
      I have the book in front of me. It says so at the very beginning of chapter 2

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  2. this is crazy there is no east egg

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  3. where you come from?^

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  4. Yes, these are real places. East Egg is Sands Point, N.Y. West Egg is Kings Point, N.Y.

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  5. the valley of ashes isn't in-between east egg and west egg thanks. god. my g jay lives in east egg to spy on his bae daisy not to see T.J. Eckleburg eyes. God. its a bit more scenic thanks. get with it

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    1. You should read the book again! Valley of ashes is in between east egg and west egg.

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  6. "About halfway between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes..." (Fitzgerald 2)

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