Chapter 2 begins with the “valley of ashes” and the “eyes of Doctor T. J.
Eckleburg.”
What do they reveal about Nick’s character and point of view?
What do they reveal about the landscape?
Nick is an observer, and as such, his most important character trait would be the ability to reserve judging others. This ability allows him to narrate the story without interjecting his own beliefs and emotions. If he weren't unbiased, we wouldn't have such a clear, unadulterated view of the main characters.
"The second chapter begins with a description of the valley of ashes, a dismal, barren wasteland halfway between West Egg and New York. A pair of enormous eyes broods over the valley from a large, decaying billboard. These are the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, an optometrist whose practice has long since ended.
The road from West Egg to New York City exemplifies decay. It is a "valley of ashes," a place of uninterrupted desolation. The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are an indelibly grotesque image: these are eyes unattached to any face or body, gazing out over a hellish wasteland. Fitzgerald's description of the drawbridge and passing barges makes an allusion to the River Styx, a mythological river which one crosses to enter the realm of the dead. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg seem to be a monstrous parody of the eyes of God: they watch, but they do not see; they are heartless, and entirely unknowing. Like the scene in which Gatsby reaches for the green light, high symbolism is given priority over the demands of realism: the reader is presented with an implausible, but highly effective image of two detached eyes looking out over dust and ashes.
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-great-gatsby/study-guide/section2/
