Social Status In The Great Gatsby

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"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone… just remember that all the people in this world haven 't had the advantages that you 've had". From the very first page of his most popular work, The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald sets for a very straightforward idea; whatever your social status is, there is more to a person besides the money on their pocket. Social status is a prominent factor in Fitzgerald`s work, extravagant parties and an expensive lifestyle are characteristics that characters in his stories pose, and this factor contributes the plot of the stories gratefully. This might be because of setting, most of Fitzgerald 's stories, like The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams; take place in the roaring twenties. During this time, America became an "urban society"; people like Jay Gatsby, the main character of The Great Gatsby, and Dexter Green from Winter Dreams, moved from small towns to big cities. The modernization of society and the new city life brought a more comfortable lifestyle; Fitzgerald was genuinely fascinated with the way people earned and spent money during this time. Especially during his years in Princeton where he and his friends would continuously talk about achieving a career in business, as this particular area would bring you great wealth. Success in this time was measured by the amount of land, machinery, and houses one possessed; the more you earned, the more you spent; the more you paid in luxury, the more successful you were.
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