Social Position In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, written by author F. Scott Fitzgerald and first published in 1926, discerningly captures the great post-war economic growth in America as well as the distorted worldview of society on social stratification. More often than not, social position and role is based on financial means, however, in reality it involves a combination of upbringing, education, and association, and each individual has a set of duties to face and fulfill. This classic tale is but nothing short of a cynical commentary of the American Dream, exposing its corrupt reality and unattainability, where success is in fact ultimately dependent on one’s position within the social hierarchy. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald affirms that social position and role is

Although the mass of wealth and power may seem to greatly contribute in improving one’s social class, it does not, however, guarantee a higher status. With Gatsby’s background as an officer and a student at Oxford, Fitzgerald illustrates that there are other factors aside from wealth that determines status. Gatsby has undoubtedly achieved success financially as a result of his own hard work, although this was achieved illegally. Gatsby lived in the West Egg, and as portrayed by Fitzgerald, he is flashy, and lacking in taste. His house is overly fancy and lacks finesse, being “a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden.” (11) In contrast, Tom’s house is described as “a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion” (12) Both houses are undoubtedly massive, however, Fitzgerald distinguishes them with positive and negative connotations. Gatsby’s house is described as a parody and in a sense, an enormous eyesore. His careless use of money exposes his need to boast of this newly acquired wealth, of which has stemmed from his poor childhood. Dissimilarly, Tom’s house is elaborate and portrayed in a very positive manner; it is “cheerful” (12) with “bright vines” (12), contrasting with Gatsby’s “thin beard of raw ivy” (11). It is this thin line of social taste and refinement that separates Gatsby from Tom, and the reason why no amount of wealth can buy entry into a higher social class. Even in his riches, Gatsby is still considered inferior because he lacks the family title and stature. And this is essentially the reason why James Gatz can never be erased from Jay