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Class Rivalry In The Great Gatsby

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The hierarchy of social classes lies within the location, wealth, and the demeanor of the denizens in the world. F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces the social differences in The Great Gatsby by depicting the distinctive characters, their certain conduct in their place in society, and the sly innuendo of the setting’s significance. The East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of the Ashes correspond to the three different social class: Daisy and Tom Buchanan as the bourgeois, Gatsby as the nouveau riche, and Myrtle and George Wilson as the proletariat. The affluent community consists of hypocrisy and feigned masks to satiate its ravenous thirst for monetary values. Thus, playing in a continuous cycle of competition and derogatory decency. The author implies …show more content…

The old money considers this tacky, indicating their disapproval and superiority over any class lower than them. As incredulous as it may seem, the highly perceptive author initially illustrates intimations of the class rivalry through placing the Egg towns literally oppose to each other across the water. The tension over authority and power seems to permeate throughout the Long Island. However, the water that separates Daisy and Gatsby represents the social distance between them and how even with his wealth, the latter cannot reach the social status of the former. On the contrary, the people inhabiting in the Valley of Ashes live by the minimal commodities of life and the location below the East and West Egg underscores the lower social position of the people. As the name of the valley suggests, the people in the “no money” class--usually overlooked by the adversity at the top--receive no cordial welcome from the wealthy and struggle to stridently invoice their aspirations in

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Fitzgerald uses Gatsby to show the corruptness that money and power can bring upon not just an individual, but an entire class of society. The divide between the upper class of “Old Money” and

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel "The Great Gatsby", the author paints a vivid picture of the roaring twenties, a time of wealth and extravagance for many Americans. However the wealthy of this time period would often commit corrupt and hollow acts during this time period, simply for personal gain. Fitzgerald's novel mainly centers around the newly wealthy Jay Gatsby, and his love for the beautiful but married Daisy Buchanan and the things he would do to try and win her over. Through his portrayal of the characters and their actions, Fitzgerald explores the theme of the hollowness or selfishness, among the rich and wealthy of this time period.

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The impact of socioeconomic status can be examined through a myriad of lenses. F. Scott Fitzgerald aims to show the relationship between socioeconomic status and power. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Tom’s character shows that socioeconomic status is equivalent to power within the novel. Tom puts great pride and emphasis on his socioeconomic status and wealth.

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Not only does the amount of wealth affect social class, but the type of wealth also affects it. It even affects where people live and who people marry as seen with Gatsby and Daisy. The characters social standing affect who they interact and how they are perceived by others. Fitzgerald highlights the different class structures like “New rich” and “Old rich” and the impact of wealth on the people’s lives in those classes. He also shows the superficial nature of the characters and highlights the value placed on wealth.

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In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald characterizes the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values. One of the major themes explored in this novel is the Hollowness of the Upper Class. The entire book revolves around money including power and little love. Coincidentally the three main characters of the novel belong to the upper class and throughout the novel Fitzgerald shows how this characters have become corrupted and have lost their morality due to excess money and success and this has led them to change their perspective towards other people and they have been portrayed as short-sighted to what is important in life. First of all, we have the main character of this novel, Gatsby who won’t stop at nothing to become rich overnight in illegal dealings with mobsters such as Wolfsheim in order to conquer Daisy’s heart.”

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In F.Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, the rich and the poor lived privileged lives but were separated between new and old money and also the rich and the poor. These rich people always showed off their wealth and power by simply living their lives. These very privileged people seemed to live different lives from others which was easily perceived by the lower class and the readers. Daisy Buchanan displays these characteristics which is clearly evident.      

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In “The Great Gatsby” Fitzgerald presents editorial on an assortment of topics, — equity, control, insatiability, treachery, the American dream. Of the considerable number of subjects, maybe none is more all around created than that of social stratification. The Great Gatsby is viewed as a splendid bit of social discourse, offering a clear look into American life in the 1920s. Fitzgerald deliberately sets up his novel into particular gatherings in any case, at last, each gathering has its own issues to battle with, leaving an effective indication of what a problematic place the world truly is. By making unmistakable social classes — old cash, new cash, and no cash — Fitzgerald sends solid messages about the elitism running all through each stratum of society.

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Gatsby’s undying efforts to gain Daisy’s attention by throwing grand parties, advertising his wealth, and paying her visits never go unnoticed. The true characteristics of each class are displayed throughout the way they each respond to certain situations and the choices they choose to make. The characters lie, cheat, break laws, and murder. The Great Gatsby ends in a tragedy which F. Scott Fitzgerald foresees society is ultimately leading towards. The great Gatsby explores themes of social classes and the corruption of the American dream through the failure of poetic justice.

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Tom, Daisy and the Jordan belong to the “New Money”, in which they are inherited with the wealth and authorities. Money and power is the main motivation for many characters in the story, as they believe that wealth and power can bring eternal happiness. “I am still afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggests, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.” (Fitzgerald 2) Through this quote, the author expresses the unequal social class and authority that individuals struggle with at a young age. The people in east egg are characterized as the “ Old money”, in which they spend their time amusing themselves.

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Jay Gatsby is a veteran who initially started off relatively poor, however, due to his strong will to attain the love of his life, he became very rich in a small amount of time to reside in the West Egg. Overall, the events that surround Jay Gatsby suggest that fluctuation amidst class status will not happen and class status is fixed. In the novel, fluctuation amidst class status cannot happen because the characters in the novel that have always remained in the extreme upper-class will express signs of arrogance and domination to those who are trying to climb up the wealth ladder in relative, competitive circumstances. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are a couple who have a very rich, well-established life on the opposite side of

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“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald 179). This quote captures the advantages the upper class has because of their money. Tom and Daisy’s actions left three people dead, yet they received no punishments .They put all their baggage on the lower class, and left them to pick up the pieces.     In The Great Gatsby, the theme of social class is very significant in the book. Scott F. Fitzgerald used the theme of social class to show the reader that it plays a much bigger role in life.

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Although The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi represent two vastly different cultures and time periods, both share topics of social divisions, the institutions of life, and morality; however, the two author’s contrasting approaches to these overlapping topics reveal the two author’s respective commentaries on the society within which their work takes place. On the topic of social class, both Persepolis and The Great Gatsby, share the idea that you are born into your class; however, the works differ in the ways they define this idea. Fitzgerald downright challenges this notion of social class with the character of Gatsby, while Satrapi reveals a more convoluted, childlike understanding of social class.

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