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Inequality Of The Upper Class In The Great Gatsby

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In chapter one, Nick Carraway says, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” (Fitzgerald 1). Here, Nick is trying to explain to Gatsby how the upper class rarely seems to realize the problems that the lower classes face. Due to Jay Gatsby’s higher standing within society, he rarely seems to fully comprehend the atrocities of the lower class. Gatsby bases his so-called ‘superiority’ on his money, rather than his actions. As proven by his lifestyle and his past, the reader can come to the conclusion that Gatsby demonstrates an insignificant amount of class. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald brings in the idea of old money versus new money. In the beginning, Jay Gatsby throws …show more content…

Before formally meeting Gatsby, Nick says, “There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whispering and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 39). In this statement, Carraway describes the rambunctious parties that Gatsby throws to flaunt the exorbitant sum of money he has. The way that Gatsby displays his money is completely classless and brazen. By the end of the novel, the reader can come to the conclusion that Jay Gatsby is not of high class because he is always trying to prove himself to the old rich. After one of Gatsby’s extravagant parties, Nick details Gatsby’s paring actions, “On Week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all the trains” (Fitzgerald 39). While this scene does show how compassionate

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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.

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In The Great Gatsby the characters in the novel come from various social classes. Nick, Daisy, and Tom are from Wealthy families who have been wealthy for a long time. These characters are referred to as “Old rich” because of their families’ long histories of wealth. Jay Gatsby, unlike Daisy and Tom, did not belong to a wealthy family, and he earns his wealth through his own hard work and success. Although Tom and Gatsby are both wealthy, Tom and the other “Old rich” people look down at Gatsby.

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Throughout the novel, Gatsby displays his riches through his mansion, expensive car, and many other things. Nick even describes how extravagant Gatsby’s house is, saying, “The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 5). As Nick describes, Gatsby’s house is very large and modern, which shows his affluence. Before he became rich and privileged, Gatsby was James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy who dreamed of becoming wealthy. This dream led Gatsby to do crazy things in order to make money, but it worked out for him in the end.

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