The Great Gatsby Symbolism

Carelessness

Daisy and Tom not showing up to Gatsby's funeral

Love and Marriage

However, love does not seem to be the only reason the characters in The Great Gatsby get married. ... Myrtle does not marry George because she loves him. She does not have an affair with Tom because of love either. It is simply because Tom can give her more money than her husband.

The American dream

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses a variety of literary devices to portray the American Dream. One example is the the green light that symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams for a life with Daisy. Another symbol is the Valley of the Ashes, which represents the ugly consequences of America's obsession with wealth.

Wealth and status

In the Great Gatsby, money is one of the majors themes in the book. Not only how much money someone has, but how they went about getting that money. Fitzgerald makes it very clear that the wealth that Tom and Daisy has is superior to the wealth that Jay Gatsby has.

The eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg

The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes. They may represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland, though the novel never makes this point explicitly.

The valley of ashes

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.

Morality

whatever you can do to get ahead, even if its illegally