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Examples Of Prejudice In The Great Gatsby

1043 Words5 Pages

Caroline Chaney
Mrs. Metz
ENG III
3 April 2023
Prejudice in The Great Gatsby No one is a stranger to prejudice. A magnitude of prejudices can change the way people are supposed to solve commutative problems, especially when the urgent conflict involves minorities. The way in which prejudice can be used to wrongly justify or give reason to do something harmful is presented throughout this novel. The Great Gatsby has a number of characters from different backgrounds that come together to try to solve multiple conflicts. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his characters in The Great Gatsby to point out the conflicts in which the characters have a prejudice against a plethora of women, races, and economic statuses. In the roaring twenties, women’s rights …show more content…

Since segregation was freshly abolished with Jim Crow laws in the 1920s, it would not be unlikely to come across a person with racist beliefs. Upon meeting Nick Carraway at the beginning of the novel, Tom Buchanan displays this blatant racism when he asks Nick if he has read “‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’” (qtd. in Lehan 86). Tom is referring to a real book where they also “ …divided the white race into three groups…” (86). He has a need for division. If everyone were to be put on the same level, then Tom would have no way of automatically being on top. Even though he knew Nick from college, he still feels the need to express his racist ideas. Tom tells Nick, “‘Well, it’s a fine book…’”, before explaining that he needs to look out in order for the white race to not be submerged, (“Quotes: Tom Buchanan” 2). Trying to reflect his beliefs onto Nick “…not only shows casual racism…” but also reveals his personality and “… his unreflective and uncritical nature” (2). This proves the racism is mostly used by Tom to attempt to prove his superiority and feed his complex once …show more content…

There is no ash, smoke, or men working in powdery air at Gatsby’s house. There are only men working to serve high class people for extravagant parties to make a living. The great divide of economic classes also causes social classes and skewed perceptions of their surroundings. Seeing how different the valley of ashes is compared to the high class lifestyle and parties of Gatsby and those who attend could cause superiority complexes. Daisy is one of the characters who certainly expresses how she values materialistic things instead of real relationships. Even though Daisy used to know Gatsby, she does not show up at Gatsby’s enormous party until Jordan and Nick set her up to go and meet him (Jeanpierre 48). Daisy then wants to be with Gatsby when she tours his house and sees how lavish and extravagant his lifestyle is. Daisy lets her view of classes influence who she chooses to give her love to. Hand in hand with Daisy is Gatsby’s skewed perception of materialism and things. He watches Daisy go through his possessions and re-evaluates himself and his items of importance based on her response to them (Bevilacqua 52). Daisy’s classism is obvious when her love for things is displayed with Gatsby at his house. She would not have continued to be with Gatsby unless she was sure of his economic status, along with Gatsby also putting his worth on items because of Daisy. The way that

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I don’t think Nick himself is inherently racist, but the people he was hanging around, taught him certain mannerisms that would definitely be considered so. Originally surprised by Tom’s aggression on the subject. Nick later makes remarks towards minorities that Tom Buchanan would agree with; these aren’t Nick‘s original thoughts they were learned from the environment he was around, even if he wasn’t in it long term echoed hate speech that influences others emotions and mindset around him which is exactly what 1920s white supremacy was meant to

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Tom has racial issues which are hinted at early on in the novel. “The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be… will be utterlysubmerged” (Fitzgerald 12), Tom makes statements he thinks are okay. We see Tom continuously make statementements against blacks and whites being together. “They’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between blacks and whites” (Fitzgerald 138) This shows yet again that Tom is racist.

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One of the most prominent social biases, both in the 1920’s specifically and throughout American history, is race. In the period after WWI, race tensions were heightening. Tom clearly does not approve of the idea that black people could rise socially and “infiltrate” his world. Even though Tom himself has a mistress, he says, “Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white. ”(Fitzgerald p130)

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Daisy was in love with Gatsby, but married Tom because of his wealth and Gatsby was drafted for World War II. In the film, when Gatsby asks Daisy why she didn’t wait for him, she says “Because rich girls don’t marry poor boys, Jay.” In fact, Daisy does love Gatsby but classism was the chasm separating them. Melodramatically, Daisy cries out to Gatsby- I love you now- isn’t that enough?

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Tom is a racist, sexist, man and Fitzgerald does not hide it. In the beginning of the novel when Nick is over at Tom and Daisy’s home Tom begins to speak to Nick of a book he is reading called ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ Tom believes that, “ Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be--will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proven.” ( Fitzgerald 13).

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Even Gatsby who loved Daisy elevated her status because of her wealth. This tells the reader that Gatsby viewed Daisy as another status symbol he wanted to acquire. This is evidence, again, that the male American Dream was based around wealth and objects, including women. Throughout the novel, the reader is lead to believe that Gatsby is one of the only men who respects women. His love for Daisy is demonstrated, yet we begin to see that he didn’t just love Daisy for Daisy, but for the status she brings him.

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