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Emily Kwon

Ms. Storer

English 3H Block 1

March 2, 2020

Silence of the Eyes

Silence can be louder than words when words are not loud enough to stop the world from

moral destruction. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American writer

renowned for his depiction of the Roaring Twenties, attempts to criticize the materialism of his

era by employing silent witnesses. Fitzgerald's emphasis on the penetrating eyes of Doctor T.J.

Eckleburg and Owl Eyes, which serve as impotent observers of distorted ambition who only gain

power when their message reaches the audience, is a warning for hedonistic prosperity and the

inevitable collapse of morality that constitute a tragedy.

The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg and Owl Eyes witness the hedonism that roots in

empty prosperity. For example, when Nick Carraway first illustrates the valley of ashes, he says,

“Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice… and then sank

down himself to eternal blindness… But his eyes… brood over the solemn dumping ground”

(Fitzgerald 23-24). The words “eternal blindness” and “solemn” establish the despondent tone of

the novel that introduces the audience to the message that materialism brings nothing at the end.

The beginning of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s overarching gaze was marked off by one man’s greed

– the greed that ended in vain as he left the world. The wealth that he accumulated proves futile

as he can no longer see the glories of his success, but the two glaring eyes are all that remain to

see the hedonistic indulgences that plague the society. As people pass by the valley of ashes in

bright cars and with great gaiety, the dusty eyes never fail to capture the grimness behind the
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apparent luxuries. Affluence that is solely directed towards extravagance is the definition of true

blindness; immoderate living that is unaccompanied by integrity is the same as dumping one’s

life to the ground. Even without any words, the eyes are gravely warning the audience of

meaningless materialism. Furthermore, Owl Eyes remarks on Gatsby’s false success when he

encounters Nick and Jordan at Gatsby’s party: “What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when

to stop, too – didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?” (Fitzgerald 46)

Owl Eyes’ fervent exposure of Gatsby’s library as a brilliant pretense of the high class is a

symbolism of Gatsby himself. Books that are not cut are not made to be read, indicating that

Gatsby’s collection of books are mere deceptions to fake his prosperity. Gatsby accumulates his

wealth through the immoral business of bootlegging, and if success is not achieved through

honest means, it is hollow. Hence, the boundless, reckless expenditure of Gatsby that epitomizes

the prodigal lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties is a great masquerade that demonstrates the barren

nature of hedonism. With the keen eyes of a perceptive spectator, Owl Eyes conveys the

inseparable concepts of empty success and the pursuit of pleasure. The two pairs of eyes each

reminds the audience not only of excessive self-indulgence but also of the consequent fall of

morality.

Doctor T.J. Eckleburg and Owl Eyes warn the audience of the tragic destruction of

morality with their piercing stares. For instance, Nick follows Tom Buchanan to meet Myrtle

“under Doctor Eckleburg’s persistent stare” (Fitzgerald 24). Although Doctor Eckleburg is not

real, the presence of his eyes is palpable and inescapable for Nick and for the audience. Tom,

unsatisfied with his monotonous life with Daisy and desperately craving for a sensuous

alternative, commits adultery with Myrtle. Regardless of Wilson’s meager earnings, the yearning

for a flamboyant life that has become the cultural norm makes Myrtle guilty of the same crime.
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Undoubtedly, the societal indulgence in sexual and material pleasure that often destroys integrity

has made proper means of joy unattractive. Conscience is neglected, and ethics is long forgotten

as Doctor T.J. Eckleburg remains the sole eyewitness to the miserable defeat of morality.

Another example of the warning appears during Gatsby’s funeral when Owl Eyes comments on

the opportunistic New Yorkers who only regarded Gatsby as the fountainhead of entertainment:

“Go on! Why my God! They used to go there by the hundreds… the poor son of a bitch”

(Fitzgerald 175). The harsh word choice accentuates the anguish brought by the absence of

virtue. Gatsby’s wealth gives him nothing at the end but the realization of unfaithful human

relations: countless people who once enjoyed Gatsby’s wild parties or who benefited from his

business do not attend his funeral. This exemplifies how the inclination for personal gains and

pleasures overwhelms the most basic moral obligation of bidding farewell to a once welcoming

host. Materialism fogs the minds from proper judgment, inducing people to disregard morality in

a blind and selfish pursuit of prosperity. Owl Eyes goes beyond criticizing the lack of ethics and

cautions the audience of the grave despair that follows. Through their gaze of hedonism and

immorality, Doctor Eckleburg and Owl Eyes ultimately prove to be the voiceless observers of

distorted dreams that lost their original innocence.

The observant eyes in The Great Gatsby are impuissant onlookers of corrupt ambition

whose influence is only felt through the audience’s realization of the depravity. For example,

when Myrtle misunderstands Jordan as Tom’s wife, Nick narrates, “Over the ashheaps the giant

eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg kept their vigil, but I perceived… that other eyes were regarding

us with peculiar intensity” (Fitzgerald 124). Nick’s matter-of-fact tone alludes how characters

have become accustomed to the persistent stare of Doctor Eckleburg due to the prevalent

immorality. As a woman who longs for a prima donna life, her current state as a mechanic’s wife
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is unacceptable to Myrtle. The collective prosperity of the ‘20s is unbearable for someone who

wishes to be in the middle of the glory, and Tom is her escape into the world of comfort and

magnificence. Her innocent desire of a dazzling life, which turns into an uncontrollable

obsession when her refuge is falling apart, ultimately leads to her death. Even when her own eyes

seize to see the world, the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg prevail over the valley of ashes,

piercing through the ambitions that have turned as gray as the ashes. Furthermore, as Wilson

recollects his fight with Myrtle before her death, “the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg… pale and

enormous” looms over him, and Wilson proclaims, “God sees everything” (Fitzgerald 159). The

deliberate metaphor extends Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s role as a silent observer to a divine power.

Myrtle’s dream of a vibrant life and Wilson’s dream of happiness with Myrtle are subjects of

corruption due to their basis on material success. Exuberant lifestyle gears the dreams of many

toward prosperity instead of true happiness, and the dreams lose their value. The fallen ambitions

are judged by Doctor Eckleburg, or god himself, who is all-knowing. Myrtle’s death, or the

grand finale of a violent race for success, does not escape the eyes of god. The eyes keep their

silence as they stare at the dreamers, illuminating the tragic ends of the ambitions that have long

gone wrong. As the examples prove, the eyes in The Great Gatsby are the primary witnesses to

the fallen nature of once innocent desires.

Through the two pairs of eyes, ever so silent yet painfully perceptive, the sorrows of

misguided desires are proclaimed louder than ever. Fitzgerald focuses on the eyes of Doctor T.J.

Eckleburg and Owl Eyes, the impotent spectators of depraved ambition, as the admonition for

hedonism and the ensuing immorality which lead to a tragedy. The current society constitutes of

various eyes which carry on the silence of Doctor Eckleburg and Owl Eyes – the silence that

holds the solemn truth behind modern prosperity and declares the need for conversion.
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Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2018.