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"I had no desire to meet [Tom's mistress]-but I did. I went up to New York with Tom on the train one afternoon, and when we stopped by the ash heaps he jumped to his feet and, taking hold of my elbow, literally forced me from the car. "We're getting off," he insisted. "I want you to meet my girl."...his determination to have my company bordered on violence."

This quote lets more of Tom's brutish personality shine through, where even though Nick Carraway makes it clear that he has no desire of meeting his mistress, Buchanan forces him. The diction in the passage clearly shows the manner in which he manhandles his cousin. Nick makes it clear that he was unwilling, emphasizing how Tom "forced" him, how "he insisted" to meet his girl and finally how all this, to Nick, felt as if it "bordered on violence". This whole scene helps characterize him as someone who insists on having what he wants in an almost childlike manner, and further accentuates his machismo and inability to restrain from using force.

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This is a valley of ashes - a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who mov dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.

This quote creates a striking image of ashes creating a solemn landscape to walk through. Fitzgerald uses oxymoron in order to emphasize the gloominess of the scene, with the workers blending into their background. The scene is made to look miserable, and this serves as an important introduction to the  general mood of the scene

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"This is a valley of ashes - a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who mov dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air."

The quote describes an area called the Valley of Ashes. As seen in the quote, there is a contrast in imagery between a valley, a peaceful, relaxing, setting, with calling it the valley of ashes, which sets a dark, gloomy tone. The fact that ashes are mentioned, which are the remains of a burning, glorious fire, possibly metaphorizes how the valley, the ashy-grey, men, and the houses, were once glorious and beautiful, however, they now are destroyed, morbid, and lifeless which contributes to setting an unwelcoming and dark tone.

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"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens..."

This passage describes the valley of ashes, located between West Egg and New York, as a home for poor people and a desolated city where the ashes cover the whole city because of industrialization. The valley is described as a disgusting and dirty city through the perspective of a rich narrator, Nick. This shows the comparison between the rich city of New York, and the poor, depressing city, the valley of ashes emerging the theme of wealth.

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"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and
grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and
chimneys and rising smoke"

Through this quote we are presented with a very dark, and depressing scenery. The scenery is described as ashes which allows us to understand how the valley is and how people view the valley as some depressing, dead valley. The quote also gives a very unpleasant feel when reading making it hard to believe that such a place could be found there.

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What is described as:

The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and - gigantic their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, form a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a non-existent nose.

References an advertising billboard situated above the grey land, it's advertising the services of an oculist in the borough of Queens who got ruined in his own misery and lost his business soon after.

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"But above the grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg."

This quote besides describing, through the use of imagery, the scenery of the valley itself, also makes reference to a pair of eyes, belonging to Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which are located on a billboard over the valley of ashes. There is a contrast emphasised between an endless and constant landscape and the attention grabbing billboard of the oculists' eyes. We can see a shift in attention move from the background into T.J.Eckleburg's eyes.

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"The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene..."

The valley of ashes portrays a very gloomy and sad scene, where the "ugliness" lays. The use of the word dismal adds a dark and dreary feel to the scene. The valley also symbolizes the poor in society.

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"Where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke"

This quote provides insight to a dreary town that seems lifeless and filled with abandoned houses, meaningless rising smoke and chimneys. It gives a more grey and less lively image of an abandoned town which brings into light some post war areas filled with a more depressed mood.

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"This is the valley of ashes- a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens"

This quote contrasts a beautiful scene with what a dead scenery through the words "grotesque" and "gardens". Gardens usually symbolise beauty, nature, and peace, whilst "grotesque" is a whole other idea that symbolises something different and shocking. This valley is described as being completely covered by ashes because of the rise of industrialisation, as it becomes gradually destroyed by humanity.

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"The supercilious assumption was that on Sunday afternoon I had nothing better to do. "

This quote was said by Nick regarding    Tom making the decision for nick about his plans. This quote highlights Tom's arrogance and tendency of putting himself above others. This is not the first time Nick uses the word supercilious to describe nick.

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"The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose."

This passage uses imagery to describe a billboard advert for an eye doctor. The eyes seem to symbolise someone who is constantly watching over you, someone who sees all and hears all, like God. The eyes seem to be judging the American Dream as a moral waste land

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"This is a valley of ashes, a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills into grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke."

Both pages 24 and 25 establish the scenario, where the areas of West Egg and New York are being compared. As seen in the passage, the fact that the author is using ashes to describe the scenario, shows how sad and depressing of a place that is. The town is being described as discarded area of the city, where the poor and the lower class people are destined to live. Also, the continuos repetition of the word ashes describes how contaminated the city is because of industrilization. F.Scott Fitzgerald shows how the rich are the ones that damage our societies, and at the same time shows how the poor are the ones that suffer the rich's decisions and actions.

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"We're getting off," he insisted. "I want you to meet my girl"

This quote is a very important quote, not only because a new character is being introduced, but because the story is starting to enter into a phase of problems and secrets. In this quote we see how Tom, excitedly wants to present Nick his mistress, and even calls her, " my girl", when really Daisy should be his girl, and the fact that he is presenting her to Daisy´s cousin is quite ironic and strange. Another interesting fact is that this girl is in the valley of ashes, and has nothing to do with the Egg or N.Y which I would also consider it to be a bit strange, since Tom is such a powerful man and it is strange that two persons from such different environments have this kind of relation.

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"Ocasionally a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades..."

The beginning of the passage sets the context in which the play is written, highlighting the fact that cars were just made available for everyone at that time. The colour of the cars fits with the description of the farm being described, which seems to be lifeless and sad, to add to this lifeless setting the author describes men full of grey ash, the same colour as the car, giving us an imagery of sadness. Fitzgerald contrasts the glamour of one side of the city with the industrial parts of the other, with hard-working men digging.

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"...a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke..."

This quote is describing the area between West Egg and New York, known as The Valley of Ashes. It is described as "fantastic" and "grotesque" creating a contrast between the tranquil valley and the and grey ashes. These ashes could somewhat represent all of those things people in the city don't want to see (the factories, the smoke...). The author also uses polysyndeton through the repeated use of "and" which adds rhythm and portrays a feeling of

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"Occasionally a line of grey cars crawl along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up sn impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight."

This quote establishes the  scene of the valley of ashes, this setting might represent the contrasting ways of life during the 20th century. In the first chapter we saw the luxurious and party filled life, on the contrary in this scene the dusty, creaking, old buildings and cars represent the struggles that people had to go through in the same time period

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"The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Ford which crouched in a dim corner."

This quote not only establishes a contrasting setting to the grandeur of the Buchanan residence but further develops the setting of "The Valley of Ashes". It suggests that even the inside of these buildings is not impervious to the waste and decay of the "valley". Additionally, the personification of the Ford crouching in the "dim corner" creates an uncomfortable image of ruined wealth which may foreshadow events that occur later in the novel or a significant theme.