Automobile In The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes the automobile to symbolize the personalities of characters and their social classes through his vivid and detailed descriptions of different automobiles and their role in the plot. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote many of his novels during the 1920s, a period called the Jazz Age, when automobiles were being rapidly manufactured on a large scale. In this peacetime economy after WWI, more people had more spending money, so automobiles became more affordable and almost necessities for many people who wanted more freedom. F. Scott Fitzgerald himself was enamored by the automobile, and he bought many during his lifetime such as a used Rolls Royce, an old Buick, a Stutz, a nine-year-old Packard, an old

The automobile also acts as a conduit for social mobility and a way to achieve and portray the accomplishment of the quintessential American Dream. Owning a Rolls Royce, Jay Gatsby clearly flaunts his wealth while Tom Buchanan, with a blue coupe, depicts his wealth in a more understated way. Nick Carraway and George Wilson both have cheap, basic cars which function well, but George especially desires to own a luxurious car one day and be in the same economic class as Jay and Tom. George Wilson and Jay Gatsby can never be in Tom’s social class because he was born into wealth while they were born into middle class lives. The automobile is initially a way to experience a higher status and a way to achieve a greater sense of freedom, but it eventually becomes a symbol of death and

The Silver Ghost was the newest Rolls Royce model at the time, with the seven-person model, costing $15,000. Although the automobile was very reliable and fast, Gatsby bought it because of its conspicuous exterior with a bright yellow paint, which would stand out brilliantly and demand attention. Jacqueline Lance, though, argues that it would not be good attention though (Lance 26). Lance is accurate, as the old money community, including Tom, mocks Gatsby’s car because of its ostentation. The Silver Ghost was advertised as “the best car in the world,” and Gatsby, with his extrovert and flamboyant personality, would only drive the best automobile to emanate his high economic status (Rolls Royce). Having grown up in a lower-middle class family to two “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people,” Gatsby feels the need to overcompensate for his humble background growing up because he wants to be fully accepted into the upper social and economic class (105). Sadly, Gatsby is unable to enter the “old money” community, which is full of families with large endowments, because, socially, he will always be tied to the class he was born