Discuss the role played by the Valley of Ashes. In The Great Gatsby, the Valley of Ashes illustrates the inequality between its inhabitants and those of West Egg and East Egg, in terms of social standing and income, as well as the desperation of poverty resulting from its inhabitants' inability to climb the socioeconomic ladder. The valley therefore represents the failure of the dream promised by America, that is, the ideal of equal opportunities for all, associated with the New World. The valley is described as a “desolate” place where “ash grows like wheat in ridges and hills.” in grotesque gardens”. (21) The ashes that dominate the area take the form of natural greenery. The term “grotesque gardens” uses alliteration, with juxtaposition; to highlight the strange combination of ash and green. Ashes are associated with death while ridges and “gardens” represent the potential to flourish and grow into the promise and ideal of equality as in “the trees that had given way to Gatsby's house had once seconded by whispering the last and the greatest of all." human dreams." (143) The trees that once stood here were capable of speaking to man's dreams, which allude to America, the land capable of speaking to man's dreams and capacity for wonder. All this is replaced by the gray ash that suffocates the inhabitants, relegating them to their social class. This presents a dark picture of desperation surrounding the valley. Likewise, the ashes take the form "of ash-gray men, moving feebly and already crumbling in the dusty air." (21) Stiff and weak movements show that its inhabitants are barely alive. These men have the same lack of life and vitality as their surroundings. This is seen in the inhabitants of the valley. George Wilson, who... in the middle of the card... comes from the wealthy elite, who have old money. Tom also states that Gatsby "has thrown dust in your eyes just as he did in Daisy's," (142) and can be said to be using his false wealth to mislead and confuse Daisy and Nick into believing that he is some of their standards, which shows that Gatsby is not recognized as one of their class. This undermines the glamorous wealth associated with Gatsby and the ideal of equality in the American dream. Exploring the physical site of the valley, followed by the inhabitants of the valley: George and Myrtle, George representing the working class and Myrtle the exception, extending this to the valley's references to Gatsby's humble origins, the Valley of Ashes represents low social mobility and the failure of the American dream. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Oxford World Classics. 2008. Print.