ipl-logo

Examples Of Marxism In The Great Gatsby

537 Words3 Pages

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is not a Marxist book, but it contains a few elements of the Marxist perspective and criticism of capitalism. “Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after the 19th-century German philosopher and economist Karl Marx. His work examines the historical effects of capitalism on labor, productivity, and economic development, and argues that a worker revolution is needed to replace capitalism with a communist system.” (Brock; Schmitt, 2023). Following the Marxist theory, capitalism is a system that oppresses the working class while consolidating wealth and power in the hands of a small ruling class. In "The Great Gatsby," characters from various social classes are used to illustrate …show more content…

They put in a lot of hours for little pay, and they lack any means of escaping their social and economic positions. The wealthy characters in the narrative, on the other hand, do not work in the traditional sense and instead, live off the profits from their investments and inherited riches. For example, Tom and Daisy Buchanan appear to have no genuine work or profession and instead live a life of leisure and luxury. They are, therefore, represented as living off the labor of others while making no genuine contributions to society. Jay Gatsby, the novel's main character, is also an interesting case study from a Marxist perspective. Gatsby is a self-made man who made money through illegal bootlegging and gambling. Even though he throws lavish parties and shows off his wealth, he still doesn't belong in the circle of the old-money elite. Despite all his wealth, he is not accepted by the upper class and is ultimately rejected by Daisy due to his working-class upbringing. It can be seen as a critique of the American dream, which promises that hard work and consistent effort will lead to success and social mobility. However, class barriers and inequality often stop this from

Show More
Related
935 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby dedicated his life to this platonic conception of himself and doesn’t stray away from it. Although illegally, Gatsby climbs the economic ladder by being a bootlegger. Gatsby is the rags to riches story that the American Dream has been built on “[he was raised] out of nothing, right out of the gutter”(171). Another reason Gatsby stands for America itself is his hard work. Gatsby is from West Egg he is “[the] newly rich”(107)

Read More
1374 Words | 6 Pages

Gatsby has spent his whole life trying to prove to Daisy and everyone around him that he is worthy of her. The only way to be on the same social level as her is to turn himself into new money. Since this is not possible, he has to try to convince to others that he truly is old money. To do this, he becomes rich, and lies about his past, but the only way for him to complete this idea is if he is with Daisy. She is the final piece in his American dream.

Read More
1048 Words | 5 Pages

This quote explains that Gatsby had to work hard for his money. " The concept of the American Dream is based on righteousness and equality. However, the characters in The Great Gatsby are indifferent to both. Fundamentally, their selfishness and carelessness have negative influence on their relationship with other people and their surroundings." (Rubin 14)

Read More
727 Words | 3 Pages

A Marxist lens allows the reader to view how Fitzgerald presents settings that symbolize the social status of their residents, such as East Egg, West Egg, and Valley of Ashes. Starting with the East egg. The east egg is home to old money passed down from generation to generation. The residents reside in beautiful old colonial houses. “Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water” (Fitzgerald pg7)

Read More
1177 Words | 5 Pages

Tucker Evans Frantzen 11 Honors Block 3A 25 March 2024 A Marxist lens through the Great Gatsby The wealth of each citizen has an impact on their societal views and experiences. Does earning your money versus having it handed to you truly affect the person you become and the experiences you have? In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the reader notices that the generational money holders are cold, stagnant characters who hold a mysterious and far away persona almost untouchable.

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

Reaching a higher class and wealth are aspects of success that many aspire to achieve. Although that may be true, in reality, as a person begins to expand their goals toward the American dream, they tend to spiral downward and crash in the end. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, pertains to an ambitious character; falling short of the American dream, resulting in a tragedy. Specifically, the book follows a young man named Gatsby and his dream to finally meet the love of his life, Daisy, who he hasn't seen in five years. Gatsby goes to great lengths in order to grab Daisy’s attention, by throwing lavish parties, which he had to achieve by becoming a bootlegger.

Read More
1051 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby’s life reveals how the social class someone is born into is the one they are stuck in for the rest of their life. This social inequality between the two classes was something Gatsby was unaware of, and he kept pursuing his never-ending dream. Through Gatsby’s struggles, Fitzgerald demonstrates the difficulties of joining the old money class and the dangers of being too consumed in the pursuit of status and wealth . Moreover, it is also important to note the reasons why the people with old money decide not to allow people with new money to attain their

Read More
971 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby obtains his wealth through illegal alcohol business, and this character of Gatsby adds onto many other reasons why Gatsby is never going to be like those old money people of East Egg. Gatsby’s action of bootlegging shows the audience that his strong desire for the American Dream caused him to go against morality and become corrupt. Going against morality proved to be costly for Gatsby as he was still unsuccessful in achieving his main mission: Daisy. The pursuit of the American Dream once again shows its negative consequences. One who pursues wealth will become corrupt and go in the wrong

Read More
1298 Words | 6 Pages

Tom as a Bourgeoisie, Gatsby's conspicuous consumption, and Daisy's mean to control those who are inferior to her, all embody this concept. All these characters seem to be living their deluxe lives, but after analyzing them, it is apparent that they all yearn for a better life. Readers can understand that social class, wealth, or background one comes from it does not define one's contentment. It is imperative to surround oneself with loving, affectionate, and caring people throughout life to truly appreciate

Read More
558 Words | 3 Pages

In The Great Gatsby, almost all of the characters are separated into West Egg and East Egg, symbolizing new money and old money, respectively. In spite of both sides being filled with the absurdly rich, many of the characters prefer East Egg and think of those residing in the West as inferior. When compared to the notorious Valley of Ashes, a land deemed inhabitable and depraved, West Egg is the epitome of luxury. The separation of different wealth and the poor seems to be an obvious jab at greed and classism, which is almost necessary when striving for the so-called ‘American dream’ Fitzgerald wrote about. Such a critique of capitalism overlaps with the concepts developed by Karl Marx and manifests themselves into the roles of the novel’s main

Read More
1220 Words | 5 Pages

This leads to Gatsby “earn[ing] the money” that he needed in order to pursue Daisy, strengthening her obsession with materialistic possessions and the trappings of wealth, which was shaped by her privileged upbringing. The sense of entitlement and superiority displayed by the Buchanans signifies how personality is rooted in class position and social stratification that are inherent in a capitalist

Read More
1756 Words | 8 Pages

Gatsby was a man who came up from essentially nothing by gaining his money through bootlegging and other illegal acts in order to gain a reputation in society. Gatsby’s constant desire to accomplish more in his life demonstrates the corruption of the American Dream. It is evident that Gatsby has had a thirst for the American dream since a young age, this is shown when Gatsby’s father says: “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind?

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that depicts the American Dream; however, the American Dream cannot be established without running over a few people in the process. Gatsby the protagonist of the novel is known to deceive others and himself; however, his lies are not meant to hurt anyone. Gatsby is lost in his desire to be rich and have Daisy’s love, and in his desire forgets about how his actions may harm others. In addition, Gatsby only wanted to be more than his parents who were “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people” (98). Gatsby’s deception goes as far as fabricating who he is, his financial standing in the past; including how he makes his money, lying to Daisy, and allowing others to tell rumors about himself.

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

In The Great Gatsby, social status is a significant element in the book as it separates the haves from the have nots. However more importantly, social status portrays the personalities of people belonging to different classes. In the end, you are stuck in the class you are born into, and attempting to change classes only leads to tragedy and heartbreak.     In The Great Gatsby, there are three main social classes portrayed. These are old money, new money, and no money.

Read More
619 Words | 3 Pages

In the 1920’s, social classes were divided with a large gap. The poor wanted nothing to do with the rich, and the rich wanted even less to do with the poor. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he uses the class structure in the 1920’s to redefine poverty. While the rich people in the novel are material rich, they are still “poor” socially and psychologically. Poverty is shown in a differently in this book than other books being written in this time era, and in doing this, it shows the rich what they are, and how they treat others from a different perspective.

Read More

More about Examples Of Marxism In The Great Gatsby

Open Document