In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are one of the novel’s most haunting symbols. Set on a decaying billboard overlooking the desolate “valley of ashes,” the cobalt eyes, painted without a face, suggest a god-like presence watching over a morally decaying world. They serve as a silent observer of the characters’ actions, especially those involving deceit, corruption, and betrayal. Their location—between West Egg and New York City—symbolizes the spiritual emptiness that lies between the pursuit of wealth and the reality of moral decay.
The eyes are most strongly associated with the idea of an absent or indifferent god. George Wilson, in his grief and desperation, comes to believe that the eyes are those of God, watching and judging the sinful actions of the people around him. However, the fact that the billboard is old, neglected, and partially falling apart suggests that if there is a god, it is one that has abandoned this world—or perhaps was never there at all.
Fitzgerald uses this symbol to highlight the lack of accountability among the wealthy elite, like Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who carelessly ruin lives and retreat into their money. Their actions are never truly judged by society, but the lingering gaze of the eyes hints at a deeper, if unseen, reckoning.
Other symbols, such as the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, complement this theme of illusion versus reality. While Gatsby believes in the dream represented by the green light, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg seem to see through it all—the lies, the delusions, and the ultimate emptiness of the American Dream. Together, these symbols emphasize Fitzgerald’s critique of a society driven by materialism, where the dream has decayed into a bleak and watchful wasteland.
