... of American society. Jay Gatsby is Fitzgerald's embodiment of the American dream of rags-to-riches. Gatsby began life as the son of poor farmers living on the shores of Lake Superior. The reader is informed early in the description of Gatsby's youth that, "his imagination had never really accepted them as ... A common setting for many of the other scenes in The Great Gatsby is the site of the Valley of Ashes. Running close to the train tracks and to the road into New York, the Valley of Ashes is "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, whe...

• Word Count: 1190
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School