56 pages • 1 hour read
F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Great Gatsby
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1925A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 2 Summary
Nick describes the midpoint between East and West Egg, where the railroad runs alongside the road for a stretch. Nick calls this area a “valley of ashes.” It’s an area where ashes from factories are dumped, creating an ugly wasteland. Over the ash dump, an old optometrist’s billboard, advertising Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, features a pair of absurd faceless eyes and glasses that look out at those who pass by.
The train stop near the dump, overlooked by the Eckleburg billboard, turns out to be the place of residence of Tom’s mistress, Myrtle. Myrtle’s husband, George Wilson, owns an unsuccessful auto repair and sales shop. As the action of the chapter begins, Tom interrupts a weekend train ride to the city, dragging Nick off to meet his Myrtle, his “girl.”
After a superficial conversation at George’s garage about a car Tom apparently intends to sell him, Myrtle and Tom manage to communicate to one another that they will meet at the station. To Nick’s surprise, he finds Myrtle unattractive.
After everyone leaves George behind, the three ride to New York City. On the way they buy a puppy at a whim of Myrtle’s. The rest of the chapter details a small, alcohol-fueled party at an apartment that Tom rents to host his ongoing affair. The partygoers include Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, and the McKees, some neighbors from the building. Mr. McKee is an untalented photographer.
A horrible moment comes when Myrtle decides to mention Daisy’s name. After she repeats “Daisy” despite Tom’s anger, Tom strikes Myrtle hard in the nose, and she bleeds badly.
Nick, who informs readers that this is the only second times in his life he has been “drunk,” leaves with Mr. McKee during the chaos of attending to Myrtle’s injury. Nick blacks out, and when he regains awareness, he is standing at Mr. McKee’s bedside, observing some poorly done photographs. He manages to leave, and the chapter ends with him waiting in the station for the 4:00 am train home.
Chapter 2 Analysis
As in Chapter 1, much of the symbolism occurs at the beginning of the chapter. The ash heap reflects the fact that underneath all the opulence of the Long Islanders, the toxic waste from industrialism remains a secret hidden just out of sight. This setting reflects The Illusion of the American Dream. Although the characters are preoccupied with comparing old wealth versus new wealth, industrialism is underlies nearly all their fortunes. Later, this infusion of toxicity into the valley of ashes will extend to the toxicity created by the characters’ emotional dysfunction.
The billboard at the chapter’s beginning will symbolize different things to different characters over the course of the book. This reflects Fitzgerald’s contention that individuals imbue symbols with meaning depending on their specific circumstances. For example, the largely secular Nick views the eyes on the dilapidated billboard as another sign of industrial decay. Later, however, George Wilson will view the eyes in a far more religious context.
Meanwhile, the speed with which the narrative introduces Myrtle demonstrates the modern sensibility of Fitzgerald’s novel, as Tom’s affair is not treated as scandalous or momentous. Rather, it is a fact of life for someone like Tom, and Fitzgerald does not conceal something that all his characters know about. This suggests that hedonism is so endemic to the characters’ social and cultural milieu that infidelity is almost expected. This highlights the theme of The Role of Love and Relationships in a Culture Defined by Wealth and Hedonism, as Fitzgerald suggests a disintegration of purer love amid modern values.
By the end of this chapter, Fitzgerald characterizes Nick as a partially unreliable narrator; his version of events is true, but he conceals elements of himself and others from the reader. Fitzgerald draws into question Nick’s sense of morality, for example, due to his willingness to go along for this journey with Tom.
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