Scott Fitzgerald was a writer who wanted his readers to be able to hear, feel and see his work. His goal was to be able to make readers think and keep asking questions using images and symbolism. The Great Gatsby was not only about the changes that occurred during the Jazz Age, but it was also about the corrupt American society, full of betrayal and money-hungry citizens. It was the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg that overlooked all the corruption that occurred in the Valley of Ashes. It is Dr. TJ Eckleburg's eyes that serve as a symbol of higher power and witness everything from betrayal to chaos in Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. We meet the eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg in the Valley of Ashes, the wasteland between West Egg and New York. For many critics and readers, Dr. Eckleburg's vulgar eyes have become something to be intertwined with the Valley of Ashes. The setting the billboard is in makes it seem like it is not significant. However it is also the position of the billboard that explains how the eyes face both New York and West Egg as it is located in the middle. The Valley of Ashes is exactly what its name sounds like. Scott Fitzgerald described it thus: About halfway between West Egg and New York the highway hastily joins the railroad and runs alongside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to escape a certain desolate patch of land. This is a valley of ash---a fantastic farm where the ash grows like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where the ash takes the shape of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men moving vaguely and already crumbling in the dusty air. Occasionally a row of gray cars with......in the center of the paper......characters perceptive enough to understand the greatness of Gatsby and who break pneumonia to pay homage to the man who gave them so much – not exoterically but esoterically.” (Savage 74) In other words, they both appreciated all the things they received, learned, or gained from Gatsby. In return, they were both there for him until the end. Gatsby was more than a wealthy, party-throwing neighbor, he was also a friend…a human being. Work cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2013. Print.