On page 159, Wilson makes a reference to the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg, aliking them to the eyes of God. He is makes a comment directed at his cheating wife, Myrtle, that “God is always watching.” I found this passage curious as throughout the novel it seems like a faithless community- in many ways, wealth and social standing dictates actions more than morals as seen through the greed, cheating and scandal. Furthermore, we have discussed Wilson as being one of the only true representations of the blue collar working class. This leads to the question: Does Fitzgerald see religion as a uniquely a value of the lower social classes?
4 thoughts on “Great Gatsby, 112-180”
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Sasa I had a similar reaction to this passage. However, I was confused by a characterization of Wilson as not religious. On page 157 he says he doesn’t have a church which directly contradicts his subsequent obsession with God and the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg. However, Michaelis stresses the importance of religion which I think provides some evidence to support your idea that Fitzgerald sees religion as a value of the lower classes.
I also found this quite interesting. To me, it almost seems as though here Wilson is becoming religious / using religion when it is convenient or when it helps him in some way. This could also represent a negative representation of religion in the novel – one where it is used merely as a means to an end for individual goals. It would be interesting to take a deeper look at the other religious references in the novel to see if these possible interpretations surface elsewhere.
I still haven’t made up my mind as to what I think of the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg, but I’m thinking that they represent Fitzgerald’s role as the author and not necessarily religion.
When the eyes are first mentioned, Nick describes them as “blue and gigantic” but then immediately notes how “some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens” (26). He doubts their power, but in two interactions he later has with them, their presence reveals something to Nick about his situation. “Then as Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s faded eyes came into sight down the road, I remembered Gatsby’s caution about gasoline” (130). They then stop at Wilson’s garage where the same eyes are mentioned right before Nick notices Myrtle’s eyes watching them. It is this same scene that Tom learns that Myrtle is leaving him just as he thinks Daisy is, too. And so, it is this scene, as initiated by the eyes, that moves the rest of the plot forward. That power over the plot is something the eyes have in common with an author.
But, if they are to be interpreted as religion, then it’s worth noting how Tom considers himself on, if not above, their level just as an affluent person may typically think of themselves in regards to religion. In his encounter with the eyes, he “exchang[es] a frown with Doctor Eckleburg” (29). I found this encounter strange because the Doctor isn’t described as having a face so he couldn’t have given a frown back. Considering that, then Tom isn’t really in the same league as the Doctor, he just thinks that he is. He is arrogant to a higher power just as I think his character would react if he were to realize that he is just a character created by an author.
The one interaction with the eyes that I’m confused about is with Wilson and Michaelis. Michaelis sees through them as a marketing ploy, calling them”‘an advertisement'” (171). That being said, he is still shook by their presence. He turns away from the window and looks back into the room while Wilson continues talking about God. Wilson says a “‘God sees everything'” (170), but a god should do more than that, no? A god creates things and controls things (just like an author) which is odd to then think that Wilson only considers a god to see. He presumably equates god with the eyes. And thinking of them as a higher power, he may be the only one to admit it, but their is evidence that the eyes act as a higher power over the other characters so I wouldn’t say that religion is considered as something for the lowly working class but something that the working class is uniquely able to truly recognize in the world.
I would think that could be seen as a thing for the lower class because it seems like for those who have money, especially Daisy and Tom, never want. Their money not only allows them to have all the material things, but it gets them out of trouble. That is important because normally when problems come up people who are without have to rely on a higher power, while those who have money just put their money to use.