where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.
The ashy description of this town made me think of Pompeii - gray, dusty, not quite alive. This is a great contrast to Tom's mansion, which is lively and beautiful. This exhibits the vast difference between the wealthy vs. the unfortunates in 1920s America.
She was in the middle thirties, and faintly stout, but she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as some women can.
The description of Mrs. Wilson when Nick first meets her reminds me a lot of the Witch of the Waste from Howl's Moving Castle. I think the similarities between the two might run deeper than just physical appearance, however. Both are secretive, deceptive, and have romantic issues; the Witch is obsessed with pursuing her previous lover while Mrs. Wilson has an ongoing affair with Tom Buchanan. I predict that her relationship with Tom Buchanan will be her undoing, just as the Witch was eventually defeated by her ex-lover.