In the Great Gatsby, there is a wall in the social classes between the people: self-made and legacy. The invisible wall between the two sides where people that try so hard to have status/reputation aren’t able to pass through the barrier. The characters in this novel actively seek to get out of their social classes by doing whatever it takes, but fail to do so. This further shows how Fitzgerald asserts that even if a self-made man can make just as much money as someone from a family of money, they will never be able to obtain the status/protection/network/influence that comes from one’s background. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as a way to prove that self-made men cannot become as successful than someone that was born with a legacy. For example, …show more content…
Many of the people describe the East Egg by saying, “Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable east egg glittered along the water, and the history of the summer…” (5). East Egg consists of many characters such as Tom and Daisy. Compared to Gatsby, Tom and Daisy live in the East Egg because of their family background/legacy. Being in the East Egg meant that they had the status and power that gives them the advantage of influencing other people around them. Adding on, compared to when Gatsby was questioned how he became a self-made millionaire (107), the people rarely (basically never) questioned about where Tom and Daisy got all the money from. This further proves the different treatment the characters get when they are self-made versus coming from a background. Being able to be an East Egger not only allows for them to have power/money, it also creates a protection/shield for them. This is because when the East Eggers are able to have a certain power that can influence others around them, it creates a sense of bias where there would be people defending the East Eggers trying to put the blame on someone else. Being from a legacy and having a background where it creates status allows for different treatment to happen, compared to people that are