The Great Gatsby - Chapter 2 Notes (Valley of Ashes, Tom and Myrtle, the Garage, and the New York Apartment)

Thirty questions and answers covering key details from The Great Gatsby chapters describing the valley of ashes, Eckleburg, Tom and Myrtle’s affair, the Wilson garage, the New York apartment, and the party scene.

What is the valley of ashes and where is it located in The Great Gatsby?

A desolate, industrial wasteland roughly halfway between West Egg and New York, described as a valley where ashes grow like wheat.

What imagery dominates the valley of ashes?

Images of grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses, chimneys, rising smoke, and crumbling men—creating a surreal, bleak landscape.

What visible symbol overlooks the valley of ashes?

The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, blue and gigantic, set in yellow spectacles.

How are Eckleburg’s eyes described in physical terms?

Their retinas are one yard high and they pass over a nonexistent nose.

What is suggested about the origin of Eckleburg’s eyes?

A wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in Queens.

What overarching meaning do Eckleburg’s eyes convey?

They brood over the desolate land, implying a watchful judgment over the moral emptiness of the scene.

What bounds the valley of ashes on one side?

A small foul river with a drawbridge that can be up to let barges through.

What could a train passenger do when the drawbridge is up?

Stare at the dismal scene for up to half an hour.

Who emerges as Tom Buchanan’s mistress near the ashes?

Myrtle Wilson.

How is Myrtle Wilson physically described?

In her thirties, faintly stout, with surplus flesh sensuously; she has a vitality about her.

What is Myrtle’s demeanor when Tom interacts with her?

She moves with vitality, smiles slowly, and seems to be drawn to Tom’s attention.

Where does Nick first encounter Myrtle?

On the ash-heaps near the valley of ashes, when Tom brings him to New York.

What happens when Tom asserts his control on the way to the city?

He literally forces Nick from the car and says, ‘We’re getting off; I want you to meet my girl.’

What is the first place Nick and Tom go when they reach New York?

A small block of yellow brick on the edge of the wasteland containing a garage and a restaurant.

What is the sign on the garage and who is its owner?

GEORGE B. WILSON. Cars Bought and Sold — owner is George B. Wilson.

How is George B. Wilson described physically?

A blonde, spiritless man, anemic, faintly handsome.

What is the condition of the interior of Wilson’s garage?

Unprosperous and bare; the only car visible is a dust-covered wreck of a Ford.

What is Tom’s greeting to Wilson in the garage?

'Hello, Wilson, old man,' Tom says, slapping him on the shoulder.

Who blocks the light in the doorway when Myrtle enters the room?

A thickish figure of a woman who is Myrtle.

What is Myrtle’s attire when she first appears in the garage’s office area?

A spotted blue crepe-de-chine dress; she is in the middle thirties and slightly stout.

What is Myrtle’s demeanor toward Tom’s world as she enters the apartment space?

She exudes vitality and sensuality as she moves through the space and interacts with Tom.

What dog does Myrtle buy and how is it acquired?

An airedale dog; she buys it in the taxi from a street vendor; the man says it costs ten dollars.

What is the dog’s gender and what does Tom joke about?

The dog is a male; Tom quips, 'That dog will cost you ten dollars' and jokes about buying ten more dogs.

Where do Tom and Myrtle go after leaving the garage?

They drive up to Fifth Avenue and then to Tom’s apartment on 158th Street in New York.

Describe the top-floor apartment where Myrtle stays.

A small living room, dining room, and bedroom with a bath; overlarge, ostentatious furniture; Versailles-themed décor and a lonely sense of being 'contiguous to absolutely nothing.'

What is the apartment’s focal photograph?

An over-enlarged photograph that, at a distance, looks like a hen on a rock but resolves into the portrait of a stout old lady.

What magazines or magazines-like items are found on the table in the apartment?

Town Tattle and Simon Called Peter, along with small Broadway scandal magazines.

What changes in Myrtle’s appearance as she changes clothes in the apartment?

Her elaborate cream chiffon dress triggers a shift in her personality, giving her an impressive hauteur.

Who is Mr. McKee and what is he described as?

Mr. McKee is a pale, feminine man from the flat below; he is a photographer and is connected to the enlargement on the wall of Myrtle’s mother.

How is Mrs. McKee portrayed and what does she do for a living?

Mrs. McKee is shrill, languid, handsome, and horrible; her husband is a photographer.

What does Catherine reveal about the marriages of the people in the room?

'Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to.'

What rumor about Gatsby does Catherine share?

That Gatsby is a nephew or cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm and that this is where his money comes from.

What does Tom want McKee to obtain for him, and why?

A letter of introduction to George B. Wilson so McKee can do studies of him.

What is the mood of the room as the party continues, according to Nick?

A mix of lively chatter, vanity, and underlying tension; Nick feels simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

What violent event occurs later in the night?

Tom Buchanan breaks Myrtle’s nose with his open hand during an argument about Daisy.

What is Mr. McKee’s action just before leaving the apartment?

He dreams of lunch with someone and then heads to the elevator, marking a chaotic exit.

How does Nick describe his journey out of the party at the end of the section?

He leaves with Mr. McKee; then the scene shifts to his experience in Pennsylvania Station, waking up in the morning and waiting for the train.