East Egg Vs. West Egg In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The “American Dream” has powered the hopes and dreams of Americans for many generations. Unlike the old European societies with an extensive feudal past, we are told that the US is a classless society based on equal opportunity. F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates in The Great Gatsby that this is not true, and that there is a limit to the American Dream. This is shown in the difference between East Egg with the “old rich” who have been born into wealth and West Egg, with the “new rich” such as Gatsby, who acquired their wealth throughout their life. Fitzgerald uses this motif to demonstrate the split among even the upper class of society and the limit of American opportunity. “Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in

They have worked to earn their wealth and fortune, yet it is not respected by the East Egg aristocrats as they consider working for money to be less than being born into money. For Tom and Daisy, their wealth and lifestyle is ingrained in everything they do while it is not so for people like Gatsby. The motif of East Egg v. West Egg is referenced in many parts of the novel. In the first chapter, Nick explains that West Egg is the “less fashionable of the two.” Although at this point it is unknown what makes it less fashionable, this reference introduces the readers to the differences in the two eggs. Later in the first chapter during Nick's visit to the Buchanans, Jordan Baker and Daisy talk about Nick and West Egg, saying, "You live in West Egg, I know somebody here."
 "I don’t know a single-" "You must know Gatsby." "Gatsby? What Gatsby?" Though the two eggs are very close to each other they seem to be very apart, Daisy even denying that she knows anyone there. Following, in Chapters 2 and 3 the readers get a comparison of the social differences between the people of East Egg and West Egg at the two parties. In chapter 3, when Nick receives the invitation from Gatsby

Nick says that Daisy was “appalled by West Egg” and that “She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand” This is important in showing how different the social aspects of West Egg are compared to East Egg. Daisy has a difficult time understanding what actually happens in West Egg, such as Gatsby's party because she is used to doing what society expects her to do. It is a foreign idea for her to do something purely because “you want to.” The “higher society” she lives in is comprised of petty gestures and stiff behavior, while the people of West Egg seem to be less restricted in their spending and general way of life. Their money is used to make themselves happy and is seems that Daisy is unsure of how to live following her emotions. Later on, Tom questions if Gatsby is “some big bootlegger” as “a lot of newly rich people are just big bootleggers.” This comment allows Tom to write off all the “new rich” as imposters of the rich who have obtained their money dishonestly. Continuing in chapter 7, Tom says that he's been “making a small investigation” of Gatsby's past. “And you found he was an Oxford man,” said Jordan helpfully while Tom responds, "An Oxford man! Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit."
Tom shows that wealth alone does not grant Gatsby an entrance to the upper class of society as they have to be educated as well. When Gatsby was killed after Tom had told George of who