Considering the misery of the people who live in the valley of ashes (Myrtle Wilson, who has an affair with Tom Buchanan because she desperately wants to get away from the valley and her husband, and George Wilson, who is constantly worried about money and is later made sick by the knowledge that his wife has been cheating on him) as well as the fact that the ashes are produced by industry (the industry that...
Considering the misery of the people who live in the valley of ashes (Myrtle Wilson, who has an affair with Tom Buchanan because she desperately wants to get away from the valley and her husband, and George Wilson, who is constantly worried about money and is later made sick by the knowledge that his wife has been cheating on him) as well as the fact that the ashes are produced by industry (the industry that makes many others filthy rich), the valley of ashes -- with its location so near the two Eggs -- seems to symbolize the miserable position of the poor, working class during this era.
Judging by the Eggs, East and West, the wealthy are only getting richer and richer while the valley implies that the poor remain stuck, used up, and burned out. The valley also helps to show the huge discrepancy between the haves and have nots, the impossibility of the American Dream for some. A few, perhaps, those who live in West Egg, have achieved the Dream: the idea that through hard work, a person can achieve success and prosper. However, George Wilson works very hard, and it seems to have no effect whatsoever on his livelihood. He remains poor and unhappy, despite his hard work and initiative (when he speaks to Tom over and over about buying his car). Wilson cannot reach the American Dream; it is simply unavailable to everyone, and the valley symbolizes this corruption of the dream as well.
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