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

881 Words4 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 …show more content…

Although both characters are in the higher classes, the influence that Daisy’s riches have on her shows as she interacts with Nick and other characters. During dinner, Daisy was even able to make Nick “feel uncivilized” (Fitzgerald 12). Even though the two characters are similar in class, they still are different as they have been introduced to different experiences. This separation of social classes is able to showcase the inability for everyone to obtain the American dream, as everyone is put through different experiences and not everyone is going to have the same opportunities. Another way that The Great Gatsby expresses the idea that the American Dream is not truly attainable for everyone is through the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. Daisy and Gatsby fall in love in their teens, but unfortunately get separated because of the different social classes and Gatsby being sent out to war. During his time away, Gatsby dreams about his time with Daisy, but when they finally reunite there is a change between the two. During the dinner “there must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion” (Fitzgerald

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