Chapter 2 starts with the description of "The Valley of Ashes"- a valley about halfway between West Egg and New York. Unlike the other settings in the book, this valley lacks glamour and can be even considered 'ugly'. The valley can actually be a symbol of the immorality of the eggs. Even though they look beautiful, deep down they are just as ugly as the valley. After the description of the valley, the chapter continues with a long portrayal of the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The phrases used to describe his eyes, such as "brood on over the solemn dumping ground", make the reader uncomfortable. These descriptions change the tone of book and give a tense atmosphere. However the descriptions are not continued and are cut off without a conclusion, implying that we will probably see these eyes again.
In this chapter we are introduced to "Tom Buchanan's mistress". She lives in the valley of ashes with her husband and Tom is not ashamed of introducing her to Nick. "I want you to meet my girl" he says to Nick, her wife's cousin, as if he was doing nothing wrong. And for some reason, throughout the whole chapter Nick acts with the same indifference. He doesn't feel obligated to say anything about the affair Tom is having and is even comfortable with leaving him and his mistress alone, even though he is Daisy's cousin. Because of Myrtle's husband, they go to New York, where Tom and Mrytle feel free from their boundaries and responsibilities. This again shows that geography is an important motif because it limits certain actions.
In this chapter we see the true ugly side of Tom. Not only is he having an affair with another woman, he is having an affair with a married woman and he doesn't hesitate to treat that woman's husband, Wilson, as disrespectfully as possible. This is clearly seen when he says, "Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive". He chooses to be unfaithful to his wife but at the same time he doesn't allow Myrtle to say his wife' name, trying to show he still cares for Daisy. He reacts like an animal to Mrytle by hitting her and breaking her nose. And after doing all of these unacceptable things, he doesn't even feel slightly guilty. He gains nothing but antipathy from the readers.
The Great Gatsby still remains as a mystery in this chapter. There are rumors about him but nobody truly knows anything about him.
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