Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley Gabs Gatsby

By now (unless you have unplugged your television, radio, disconnected from the Internet, and not picked up a newspaper in the last couple of weeks), you are aware that a new movie version of The Great Gatsby – that F. Scott Fitzgerald saga of the Jazz Age (a.k.a. 1920’s) is doing big business in movie theatres.

Everyone here at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley takes a particular interest in The Great Gatsby because of one memorable plot device. In the more rural section of the story’s Long Island, NY locale lives an auto mechanic named George Wilson. In the vicinity of George’s shop is an old billboard that advertises the optometry services of one Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. This billboard consists of two giant blue eyes looking through a pair of yellow rimmed spectacles; a fascinating (not to mention eerie) bit of imagery.

Teachers, students and scholars have written countless papers and dissertations on the meaning of Dr. Eckleburg’s sign. What we find noteworthy is the sense of American history. Even as far back as the 1920s, the importance of keeping up with eye health was advertised – on the grand scale of a billboard. Today, one can go online and schedule an appointment for an eye exam, peruse eyeglasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, among other options. You can even find deals that were not so flexible back in the 1920s. How times have changed. Or have they? Have you kept up with the care of your eyes with the help of a few simple clicks on the computer? Or do you need a giant billboard à la Dr. T. J. Eckleburg to freak you out a bit into visiting the eye doctor? No, we didn’t think so.

Now, on a different note, the staff at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley is intrigued by the fact that this rendition of The Great Gatsby is in 3D. While watching movies with the red and green plastic Wayfarers is not for everyone (and the reviews of the movie itself have been mixed), one cannot help but notice how the past has met the future, as this well-known tale of a bygone era gets fresh life with newer technology.

Whether you choose to see Gatsby in the movies, wait for video, or if the hoopla has piqued your interest in reading (or rereading) Fitzgerald’s novel, we hope that the sign of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg does not disturb you too much. Come visit us…we’re not as scary.