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Role Of Class Structure In The Great Gatsby

845 Words4 Pages

In the history of America, the social class ladder has more or less defined the individuals of the United States. It seems as if social classes define people for who they are, but really it does not. In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, social class structure plays a big role in the characters and the novel. Throughout the book, social class structure is present and seems to define the characters for who they are. In the United States, there are three main social class levels: lower class, middle class, and the upper class. The most common characteristics that are associated with class structure are income and education level. In the 1920’s, the economy was at a prime period known as the “Roaring Twenties”. It was a time for …show more content…

The environment of one class can be completely different than the other. For example, the “Valley of Ashes” is an environment of the lower class. It is a very “desolate area of land” that is known for its poverty. (Fitzgerald 2). The environment of the Valley of Ashes is very different than the one of the West Egg. The people who live in poverty have a harder time moving up to the higher class because of what surrounds them. The influences that live around them are a lot more different than the ones in the upper class. It is difficult for people to ascend in the social class ladder because of how different the environments of each class are. In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, social class structure plays a big role in defining characters throughout the book. It shows how people of different classes compare and contrast. Social class structure has been around the U.S. for years now, and it seems to define people for who they are. In reality, class structure does not define who you are, it only defines you by your income and educational level. Social class does not determine who you are as a person and how you are on the

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