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Examples Of Social Inequality In The Great Gatsby

1051 Words5 Pages

Hasnaat Tanveer
Mrs. Legros
ENG3UB-01
December 11, 2022
The Social Inequality of Characters in The Great Gatsby
Many individuals are unaware that even the rich have a social hierarchy. Surprisingly, it is not even based on who has the most wealth. In The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald gives a deeper insight into the differences between new money, the newly wealthy individuals, and old money, the inheritors of wealth. Fitzgerald explains that people with new money cannot move up to the old money status due to social and cultural barriers. In The Great Gatsby, the quarrels between the two parties are portrayed within the characters. Fitzgerald portrays how the actions of the characters reveal the differences in social status which …show more content…

It is known throughout the book that Gatsby wants to fit in with the old money society but only at the end of The Great Gatsby are we shown his true thoughts. When Nick is reminiscing about the past he proclaims, “his [Gatsby’s] dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him,” (Fitzgerald 193). Nick is hinting at how Daisy was just a bridge for Gatsby’s true dream of attaining old money status. Nick touches on the point of how Gatsby was constantly pursuing Daisy in order to relive his dream of being in the old money class, but Gatsby was unaware that regardless of how hard he tried he could never relive his dream. 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

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