When Nick first arrives on Long Island, he is full of hope that he can start a career and build a fulfilling life on the East Coast—having just left he Chicago area. However, by the time he has gotten caught up in breathing in the "foul dust" of Tom and Daisy's life and has suffered through Gatsby's death, he has lost his taste for the East.
Nick explains that the East (for him) has come symbolize grotesqueness, corruption, and death: it haunts his dreams. In other words, he has nightmares about his time spent there, seeing it like the distorted landscape of an El Greco painting. He knows he is not being objective—he even states that his vision is "distorted," but he can't correct this. He knows he must escape to the Midwest, which he regards as a place of purity in contrast to what he has witnessed.
Nick uses innocent, idyllic imagery to convey his perception of the Midwest:
That’s my middle west—not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns but the thrilling, returning trains of my youth and the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark and the shadows of holly wreaths thrown by lighted windows on the snow.
This perception may be idealized and inaccurate, but it reveals that the Midwest is a place of refuge for Nick, who is fleeing from the "haunting" corruptions he identifies with the East.
Following Gatsby's lonely, depressing funeral, which no one attends except Nick and Gatsby's father, Nick decides to leave the East Coast and return home to the Mid-West. Nick then mentions,
After Gatsby's death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes' power of correction.
Nick's comment reveals that Gatsby's death traumatized him, and he is no longer disillusioned by the allure of the East Coast. During the summer in which Nick became acquainted with Jay Gatsby, he came to view Gatsby as a genuine friend and positive person. Despite Gatsby's many flaws, Nick felt a connection to Gatsby and could perceive infinite hope in Gatsby's character. After experiencing New York and Long Island, Nick is appalled by the immoral behavior, selfishness, and greed he's witnessed throughout the summer. In contrast, Nick views the Mid-West as a moral haven, where individuals are genuine, compassionate people who are unconcerned with maintaining appearances. Nick has no desire to return to the East Coast, and whenever he thinks about New York and Long Island, he is haunted by Gatsby's death and his experience among the upper-class citizens.
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