We explored the symbolism of both the "valley of ashes" and the brooding eyes in the billboard of Dr. Eckleburg that overlooks the valley of ashes. Nina did well in noting the representation of waste and corruption, and I pointed out the paradoxical metaphors that compare the piles of ashes to a farm, or a garden, reminiscent of the corrupted Eden theme that runs through the novel and much of American Literature. Similarly, we explored the representation of a deity in the brooding but ever observant faceless billboard of Dr.Eckleburg. We then analyzed the issues of social class first noting how Nick, the narrator , is both within and without elite society and contrasting the social status of Tom Buchanan with that of his unsophisticated mistress, Myrtle Wilson. We examined how Tom feels entitled to have a mistress and yet claim to be a moral character . Fitzgerald observed the rich are not like us. They have their own rules.