Examples Of Social Class In The Great Gatsby

Hank Ritter

AP English 3

Julie Garner

February 9, 2023

Social Class and Status Throughout The Great Gatsby The 1920s are an era described by many as rich, happy, and bright. It may have been this way for many people of the upper class however, the twenties did not come without its share of downfalls. Though the 1920s were full of great wealth and prosperity, this era also had the highest poverty rates. 60 percent of the population was below the poverty line. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel that explores the theme of social class and status throughout the roaring twenties. Within the story, characters are defined by their social standing and pursuit of wealth. The characters in The Great Gatsby can be grouped into

Characters such as Myrtle and George set the lower class stereotype into flesh. An example of this can be seen when Myrtle states, “"I told that boy about the ice." Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders. "These people! You have to keep after them all the time””(Fitzgerald 70). While at a party in Tom’s apartment, Myrtle talks as if she is an upper-class member while she is with Tom. However, the reader can see she is putting on a disguise to forget what her life is like in the lower class. Because of Myrtle’s perilous life, she feels no remorse or empathy for cheating on her husband George. She puts up with Tom’s abuse just to hold on to the hope that she may become a member of the upper class. “The valley of ashes is covered in the ash drifting down from on high, from the fiery consumption of the elite. It veils everything”(Harold 9). Harold uses the Valley of Ashes as symbolism for those of the lower class (no money). He makes the miserable place where people of the lower class live feel like a result of the neglect by the rich. This gives insight into how characters like George and Myrtle live, suffocating in the Elite’s success. “Myrtle Wilson dies in the prime of her life, suggesting not only the fragility of life but also the complexity of social class and the problems that occur when desperate people hold

New money is a mix of old money and no money. Jay Gatsby puts this into light; he stands out because he came from no money, yet he stands among the elite with his newly earned money. “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock” (Fitzgerald 92). The green light across the lake signifies the lack of wealth Gatsby had as a child growing up. If Gatsby were born into money like the Buchanons, he would never have to worry about Daisy’s attraction to Tom for his money. “Gatsby strives to imitate an aristocratic identity but is eventually found out by Tom, who exposes Gatsby's social performance as an inauthentic forgery”(Norris 1). The people of old money have always had an advantage over the people of new money. Individuals with old money are judgemental, they believe they have the best taste and always feel above the people with new money. However, the characters in the story with new money are no better. At Gatsby’s parties, most guests with new money aren’t invited, they just show up, eat Gatsby’s food, and make a mess. They do all this without even knowing who Gatsby is. No one attends Gatsby’s funeral which reveals that almost all the people with new money have used him and choose not to be around when Gatsby has nothing left to offer them. Bruccoli states, “Gatsby is a flamboyant, faintly ridiculous figure. He wears silver and gold shirts and suits; his speech is