Lower Class In The Great Gatsby

Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays power and privilege through the characterization of the working lower class society in order to showcase their inferiority during the time period. Set during the mid-1920’s the novel is set in New York which is mostly run by the actions of the people in Long Island - specifically East Egg and West Egg. Fitzgerald is able to not only depict the lifestyle of those of live in the poorer valley of ashes but also draw insight on how their lives are impacted by the actions inhabitants of Long Island as they are unable to build a life that could bear semblance to the American Dream The use of various literary devices enabled Fitzgerald was able to quickly distinguish between the

Carraway’s first encounter with George Wilson is him observing a “damp gleam of hope”(p.19) when Tom Buchanan a resident of Long Island visits the garage. The imagery unveils the impact of having an upper class character interact with one from the lower class as being an obvious one. By having Carraway an outsider easily observe this change in George, Fitzgerald depicts how the lower class is easily influenced by the upper class mere presence as they strive to attain the American Dream. A conversation with Catherine - a friend of Tom’s - leads to Carraway’s knowledge of how Wilsons have been “living over the garage for 11 years”(p.28). Catherine’s flippant remark of the couple dictates how beneath her she deems the couple. Fitzgerald's dialogue allows for the readers to recognize how the Wilsons working space and home are not separated by distance. This implies that they do not have the luxury of separating comfort from labour as there is little alternative with their lifestyle. The union of the two factors indicate that the people in the valley of ashes are always working in order to achieve something greater.In both encounters, Carraway’s narrative on the Wilson’s is in second person as he puts distance between them and his own character. This ties in to how people who live

The blatant illustration of the lower class as people who are incapable of building a life that mirrors the American Dream is most prominently seen through the relationship between them and the upper class. In chapter 7, we hit the climax of the novel with Myrtle's death. We learn that in the build up to this even Michaelis - a resident of the valley of ashes - sleeps through “the heat” (p.110) only to witness the hit and run with remarks of how the car “came out of the gathering darkness [...] and disappeared around the next bend”(p.111) As the heat portrays the argument that happens between Jay Gatsby and Tom, Michaelis actions demonstrates the oblivious nature of the people in the valley of ashes. The car symbolizes the fleeting nature of the upper class especially with how it did not stop to face the consequences after hitting Myrtle. The callous nature is a huge contrast to the people in the lower class who have to bear witness and suffer the loss that comes with the Long Islander’s behaviours. Fitzgerald is able to further shine a light on how the lower class are rendered powerless in the plight to build the lives they