Chapter 2

1. The Valley of Ashes is 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 men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.”
 It’s like a ghost town. Wilson’s live there. It symbolizes represents spiritual death. It is tied in with the Death of the American dream (or the death of Gatsby’s American Dream).

2. T.J Ecklebury has the eyes of God, which represents the loss of religion. Ties in with the Valley of Ashes, as it is a spiritless ghost that looks over the wasteland.

3. 'He was a blond, spiritless man, anaemic, and faintly handsome.' He also has light blue eyes. He's different than his wife in that he is content living the way he is in the Valley of Ashes.. she wants to get out, but he's not bothered by it. George is spiritually dead because of how he lives and having it be okay.

4. New York is a place where people are able to make their 'American dream(s)' come true. It's a big town where people can make money.

5. The Town Tattle is a gossip magazine, which reinforces the idea of gossip throughout the cities and characters.

6. They live below the apartment that Tom and Myrtle have their affair in. He is not very successful, he needs an entry into the photography business.

7. She’s a gossiper who seems to always end up in everyone else’s business. She's fake and likes attention.

8. Tom started the lie about his marriage with Daisy saying that she’s Catholic and that’s why they couldn’t get a divorce. He tells people and Myrtle this so they don't ask why he won't leave Daisy. Tom doesn't want to leave her... just wants some extra booty on the side.

9. Catherine wants the American dream but made the mistake of marrying George who wasn't honest about his occupation. By living in the Valley of Ashes and marrying Tom she can't achieve wealth and happiness. By being with Tom she has a better chance and so she tries to act higher in class when she's with him. An example of class is when she waited for the lavender-colored, gray upholstered cab and also when she asked for a police dog. She wants the best.

10. When Myrtle asked for a police dog she was basically asking to be higher up in class... but because they had no more she ended up with a mut, like herself. She just can't raise her class status.. even if she's in New York.

11. Catherine goes to Europe to appear more ‘worldly’ but ends up getting ripped off in the first two days she’s there. (If she was ‘worldly’ she would have known better and would have been smarter while there.) She tries to act like she has money even though she doesn’t. Catherine is trying to be something she’s not to give people the idea that she’s higher in class. She's fake.

12. She says he is related to Kaizer, which makes people think that he is from old money when really he's from new money. She suggests he's a bad person but she really doesn't know him because he's mysterious... which also intrigues her.

13. Catherine regrets marrying George because she thought she was going to be able to achieve making her American Dream. If he actually did what he had told her they would have money and they wouldn't have been living in the Valley of Ashes. However, because they are, she ended up being considered a mut in a lower class than what she could have been with someone else.

14. Even though Tom is cheating on Daisy he still doesn't want to leave her.. and so he continues to cheat on her with Myrtle who starts to repeatedly say his wife's name. He gets angry and so to silence her he hits her in the face and breaks her nose. This proves that Myrtle really is just some hoe that he really doesn't care about. This could be upsetting to Myrtle because Tom is her escape and her ability to get the American dream... he doens't care about her nearly enough to help her or leave Daisy.