The novel makes a naturalism argument about ambition in that humans are ever reaching for that which they do not have, but are thwarted by factors out of their control. Starting at the top of the social hierarchy, the story illustrates that the wealthy will stay comfortable within their class, take advantage of others’ desire to ascend all the while barring them entrance to the upper echelons of society. The Buchanans, that exemplify the upper class, are unsatisfied with both their marriage and station in life and seek happiness outside of their social class. In this, the reader is constantly bombarded with color symbolism when it comes to these two. When one first meets them at their house on East Egg, they are surrounded by red, white, …show more content…
Tom lies to Myrtle about Daisy’s religious affiliations to get out of marrying her, and Daisy can’t bring herself to completely cut ties with Tom to recreate the past with Gatsby. They never think of their partners and equals, with Daisy showing disdain for Gatsby’s parties, and Tom harshly reminding Myrle of her place in the lower class. They take away the choice of their partners, returning to their comfortable positions at the top of society, the position they were born into, when all is said and done. In the middle are the social climbers, who, although not born wealthy, try in their own ways to reach that status, and are ultimately thwarted because of their starting point; they struggled against the current of a harsh and indifferent world and got swept away. For example, Myrtle is a resident of the Valley of Ashes. She is poor, lower class, and in an adulterous affair with Tom Buchanan. She revels in spending Tom’s money, as seen in chapter two, and attempts to raise her station in life. She is denoted by the color cream in her dress, white, but not quite. Unfortunately, Tom has no plans to marry her. He lies to her about Daisy’s religious status as an excuse to keep her off his back in terms of