Examples Of Social Class In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s criticism of social class in America shines through his portrayal of characters in The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby’s struggle with fitting into the upper class is based on his personal experiences as someone who acquired money and wealth later in life. Though The Great Gatsby is a work written in the 1920s, some of its depictions of social class struggles are still relevant now. The opportunity for social mobility is present in America today, as it was in the 1920s; however, the existing differences between those born into wealth and those who acquired it are significant enough to stagnate the integration of “New Money” into the upper class. Fitzgerald takes his readers through the novel with many depictions of the relationship

The best way to perhaps interpret the message about ascending in social class is that it is a warning from someone who has experienced it. Fitzgerald advises the reader to let it get to one’s head, to not overindulge in luxury, and to not try to be someone who one is not. Those in the upper echelons are destructive to anyone below them (Friedrich 399). Nick’s final sentiment about the Buchanans at the end of the novel is negative: “They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 179). Fitzgerald regards the American Dream as somewhat of a regret when he ultimately realizes that he had used his wealth in the wrong way. Gatsby, in turn, was written with this sentiment in mind. The worst one can do for themselves is to try to become like the bourgeoisie and try to achieve the same level of standing as people like Tom and Daisy. Fitzgerald’s message is that ascent up the social ladder can be done incorrectly and lead to disastrous results, and he holds what seems to be a deep hatred for the wealthy people who have wronged him and his ambition. The book discourages this ascent, and stands as a rare example that reads almost like ‘why one should not

Named after the novel, it is called the Great Gatsby Curve. The concept of it is that the greater the wealth gap between the rich and poor in a country, the more difficult it is to move up in social class (Jerrim and Macmillan 505). Considering how wide the wealth gap is in America nowadays than it was in the 1920s, it would be much harder to become rich in modern times. Jerrim and Macmillan’s study was of how education would affect someone’s ascent, and the study concluded that even if education could help someone ascend, it is nowadays unaffordable to the people who need it most. Countries with greater wealth inequality such as the United States tend to have privately-funded education, meaning it is expensive for anyone who wishes to get educated. As a result, poor children who want to get an education can scarcely afford it, and the parents have very little incentive to have their children pursue a luxury like that. Nowadays, climbing the social ladder is harder in America than it may have been in previous times, but that is not to say that it is entirely