What's the differences between West Egg, East Egg, and Valley of Ashes, in The Great Gatsby?

Question

I know that one means new money & the other means old money but i cant remember which or why. I have no clue what the Valley of Ashes is, except that it symbolizes all the corruption going on in the world.

Any little bit helps.

Thanks (:

Answer 1

Throughout the novel, places and settings epitomize the various aspects of the 1920s American society that Fitzgerald depicts. East Egg represents the old aristocracy, West Egg the newly rich, the valley of ashes the moral and social decay of America, and New York City the uninhibited, amoral quest for money and pleasure. Additionally, the East is connected to the moral decay and social cynicism of New York, while the West (including Midwestern and northern areas such as Minnesota) is connected to more traditional social values and ideals. Nick's analysis in Chapter IX of the story he has related reveals his sensitivity to this dichotomy: though it is set in the East, the story is really one of the West, as it tells how people originally from west of the Appalachians (as all of the main characters are) react to the pace and style of life on the East Coast.

First introduced in Chapter II, the valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of desolate land created by the dumping of industrial ashes. It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result.



I basically copied and pasted this from spark notes. This is a good website for reference, but it should not be used in place of reading the book.

Answer 2

I have not read this novel, but there are a number of online study guides, and quite a few other resources on the web that can help you with this question.  Most of them have quite a bit of good information.  Have a look at these, and you should get some help with your work.  If you do a search you will find many other links.  .  

http://www.homework-online.com/tgg/index...

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/

http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/gr...

http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guide...