Social Class In The Great Gatsby

Social class is a division in society based on social and economic status. This division exceeds race, sex and ethnicity with each class having its own standards. Many people think that it is difficult to switch social classes. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby demonstrated that it is possible to attain a higher social class by learning how to act around others, making connections with people and earning lots of money.

Elevating one’s social status is easier when one is educated on the proper way to interact with the chosen social class. Nick tells the story of how James Gatz’s personality became Jay Gatsby by introducing the background character Dan Cody. Dan Cody and Gatsby spent some time together in Gatsby’s younger years, and he hoped to inherit some of Cody’s fortune; however, that did not happen. “He was left with his singularly appropriate education; the vague contour of Jay Gatsby had filled out to the substantiality of a man.” (Fitzgerald 100-101) Fitzgerald explains that only thing that Gatsby obtained from his time with Dan Cody was how to socialize with the upper class. This guided him on his way to make connections with those of a higher class because he knew how to fit in with them.

Gatsby would not have gained his reputation or his money had it not been for Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim introduced him to the bootlegging business as well as gave him connections to other people in the industry. “I got him to join up in the American Legion and he used to stand high there. Right off he did some work for a client of mine up to Albany.” (Fitzgerald 171) In this quote, Wolfsheim is telling Nick how he got Gatsby into the business, as well as how he gave him connections. Through these connections, Gatsby was able to do work with a multitude of