ipl-logo

How Does Social Class Occur In The Great Gatsby

462 Words2 Pages

Social classes represent the hidden structure of America, as well as in several other countries in the world. If one is unsatisfied with the social class they are born into, however, is it possible for them to change it? The answer is yes, they can, as per evidence from real life situations and from The Great Gatsby. Some might say that it is impossible to change the social class one is born into. In their opinion, if that person is born poor, consequently they will certainly die poor. While this may have been true in a time in which education was limited and the economic system was oppressive, in our modern day society this scenario does not apply. We have evolved to the point that one has the chance to grow both socially and economically. …show more content…

Compared to how it was before, today there are actually laws that require all children, no matter how poor, to attend school even if they need government aid to do so. This is a monumental change from the 19th century and the early 20th century, where there were no such laws and an overwhelming number of children would miss out on an education due to their financial status. With this knowledge that is bestowed upon them, these children in low-income situations can work ambitiously and flourish by the time they graduate high school. Even if they don’t attend college, a high school diploma can help in finding a stable job, which can allow them to earn more money and move up a social class. A variation of this occurred in The Great Gatsby where Gatsby was taught the ways of business by his mentor Dan Cody, which enabled him to become wealthy later in

Show More
Related

James Loewen The Land Of Opportunity Summary

515 Words | 3 Pages

In James W. Loewen’s “The Land of Opportunity,” he states that social class affects the way children are raised. He discusses the inequality in today’s society and how the textbooks in high school do not give any social class information. The students in today’s time are not taught everything they should be taught. He states that your family’s wealth is what makes up your future. Loewen discusses that people with more money can study for the SATs more productively and get a better score than someone who has less money.

Read More

Society In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

529 Words | 3 Pages

The Roaring Twenties, known as the decade of the 1920s in the Western World, consists of dramatic changes in social values. The cultural differences between the 1920s and the Victorian era changes people's behavior, where they become more free-will, youthful and carefree, despite of being more conservative before. People are more open-minded and found satisfaction through the “open pursuit of sex, money, and booze” (Berman 53) as they suggest their wealth and status in the society. New York City had become one of the cities where materialistic wealth has become the key of happiness and the standard to judge people's success, further leading Americans to pursue each other in a negative, acquisitive way. Through the different scenes and characters of the famous novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores how the society twisted the original idea of

Read More

Socioeconomic Status And Power In The Great Gatsby Essay

792 Words | 4 Pages

The impact of socioeconomic status can be examined through a myriad of lenses. F. Scott Fitzgerald aims to show the relationship between socioeconomic status and power. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Tom’s character shows that socioeconomic status is equivalent to power within the novel. Tom puts great pride and emphasis on his socioeconomic status and wealth.

Read More

Examples Of Privilege In The Great Gatsby

621 Words | 3 Pages

In the Great Gatsby, privilege comes into play. Privilege in this context means being born with advantages that you did not earn or work for. Some people have to work to get their money but others are born with money which means that they didn’t have to work for their money. Gatsby for example was not born with money. He had to make his own money by selling and dealing drugs and is now a very wealthy man.

Read More

Separation Of Social Classes In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

881 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby Although Gatsby and other upper class characters have greater opportunities than the lower class, the American Dream is not truly attainable for everyone as shown through the separation of the lower class, the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby, as well as Gatsby’s own failure in his American Dream. The American dream is shown to not be truly attainable for everyone through the separation of social classes. Myrtle is one of the lower class characters that live in the Valley of Ashes. She is always trying to escape her social class as she is very poor and she dreams of wealth and prosperity. In her desperation of escaping her social class, she ‘“marrie[s] [George] because [she][thinks] he [is] a gentleman [instead], He borrowed

Read More

Class Divide In The Great Gatsby

1302 Words | 6 Pages

Many times, it is hard for people to accept the fact that they are classified purely based on where they live and/or where they are educated. In both, The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald and Class Divide by Marc Levin, the characters are separated into neighborhoods or schools, which ultimately display the wealth they obtain. The Great Gatsby is a novel that consists of many characters who either live in the West Egg, East Egg, or Valley of Ashes. The West Egg represents the idea of new money, the East Egg signifies old money, and the Valley of Ashes represents impoverishment. Moreover, Class Divide is a documentary that interviews several people, mostly youths, who either attend public schools or private schools, such as Avenues.

Read More

Examples Of Social Class In The Great Gatsby

942 Words | 4 Pages

Sometimes, people fail to fit in among their peers for a variety of reasons. In social situations, people often look down on specific groups or individuals for not fitting in. Sometimes people’s interests and behavior are too different from what is considered the norm, and they will be labeled as strange and unlikable. In other cases, they may be excluded because they come from a background or social class that causes people to look down on them. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Novel The Great Gatsby this occurs in the case of Jay Gatsby, who, despite his mansion, massive parties, and fancy car, never truly fits in among the people around him.

Read More

Examples Of Elitism In The Great Gatsby

879 Words | 4 Pages

In “The Great Gatsby” Fitzgerald presents editorial on an assortment of topics, — equity, control, insatiability, treachery, the American dream. Of the considerable number of subjects, maybe none is more all around created than that of social stratification. The Great Gatsby is viewed as a splendid bit of social discourse, offering a clear look into American life in the 1920s. Fitzgerald deliberately sets up his novel into particular gatherings in any case, at last, each gathering has its own issues to battle with, leaving an effective indication of what a problematic place the world truly is. By making unmistakable social classes — old cash, new cash, and no cash — Fitzgerald sends solid messages about the elitism running all through each stratum of society.

Read More

Theme Of Social Mobility In The Great Gatsby

1349 Words | 6 Pages

During the 1920s, America seemed to be a land of glamor and luxury. Underneath the beauty, however, was a vast underworld of crime: bootleggers and gangs ran rampant, controlling even members of the government. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, he tells a tale of that decade, which appears glamorous but is filled with corruption. The novel makes a naturalism argument about the impossibility of changing social class, revealing that only a facade of mobility can be achieved through debaucherous actions.

Read More

The Role Of Social Mobility In The Great Gatsby

578 Words | 3 Pages

The American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success, prosperity, and social mobility through hard work, determination, and initiative. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby attempts to achieve social mobility but ultimately fails due to the constructs of old vs new money. An argument is shown that the American Dream is just that, a dream, and that happiness cannot be achieved through wealth. In the novel, the super poor are stuck in their social class, unable to move because they live in the valley of ashes, which represents poverty and the corruption and social decay that came with the lavish and careless lifestyles of the rich.

Read More

Social Inequality In The Great Gatsby

944 Words | 4 Pages

Great Gatsby Movie Social Class Inequality Tom, Gatsby, and Daisy Status In the movie The Great Gatsby (2000) directed by Robert Markowitz I noticed social class inequality. It is been seen in Tom Buchanan, Gatsby, and Daisy. Tom and Daisy fit in the ascribed status. Both of them were born into rich families.

Read More

Essay On Social Classes In America

608 Words | 3 Pages

I believe social classes have defined our society in many ways. In America, they separate people into three different classes: the upper class, middle class, and the lower or working class. Based on wealth and various occupations, social classes determine the population’s status in society. Social classes today define individuals and influence their actions. Although people born in a certain class may choose to stay there, they also have the choice of leaving.

Read More

Examples Of Social Class In The Great Gatsby

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

Class Struggle In The Great Gatsby

989 Words | 4 Pages

The Rich Stay Rich, the Poor stay Poor: Class Struggle in The Great Gatsby “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” In no other place does this quote ring more true than in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, The Great Gatsby. At its core, The Great Gatsby is a novel about class struggle; the rich stay rich, while the poor, through the misguided ideals of the American Dream, attempt and fail to progress up the ranks of society. Fitzgerald’s blend of plot and stylistic choices combine to create a vivid picture of the lives of the rich during 1920’s America; the vieux rich become above all other forms of authority, and abusively exert their influence onto those less fortunate than themselves.

Read More

Theme Of Inequality In The Great Gatsby

2097 Words | 9 Pages

False Illusions "For many the American Dream has become a nightmare. " These words of Bernie Sanders are accurate to an extent. The American Dream is the idea that anyone, with enough resolve and determination, can climb the economic ladder, regardless of where they start in life. It is called the American Dream because the United States is depicted as the greatest nation in the world, that offers the most opportunity and freedom to achieve upward mobility in society. However, many people attach themselves too much to the hope of achieving this dream that they fail to realize the inequalities that take place in front of their own faces, which are the factors that are hampering them from this illusion.

Read More

More about How Does Social Class Occur In The Great Gatsby

Related Topics

Open Document