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Socioeconomic Status In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

1384 Words6 Pages

An individual’s socioeconomic status, shaped and influenced by wealth, education level, and background, predominantly determines one’s power and privilege in society. Socioeconomic status is an ongoing factor in determining one’s own ranking in society and its social hierarchy. It is present in modern day society and has been for years. The novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a conspicuous depiction of socioeconomic status and how it relates to power and privilege. In the West and East Egg, they live luxurious lives and the people living in The Valley of Ashes work paycheck to paycheck. It describes both sides of the status hierarchy. Wealth is a prevalent factor that can heavily affect a person’s life with difficulties …show more content…

Myrtle wants to get married to Tom, however he makes up a lie saying that Daisy is Catholic. It is a lie because Nick opposes saying, “Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie” (Fitzgerald 25). Tom leads Myrtle to think that something is unwillingly stopping him from marrying her, but in reality he would never divorce Daisy for a woman with a lower status. Furthermore, the theme of education is seen with Nick and Tom. The two of them went to Yale and have given them more connections. It is expressed in the first few chapters of the novel that they know each other through their time at Yale and provide a connection. The background of an individual changes and affects the conflicts they face and the opportunities they receive. In modern day, some people are put at a disadvantage because of their background and that disadvantage can become a deciding factor in their power and privilege. Some people are born with wealth and power, while others work hard just to get by. In The Great Gatsby, the background of a person affects their life. Gatsby experienced hardship and worked for his wealth, while Tom and Daisy were born

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The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells a story about social structures and how impossible it is to achieve the American Dream. The story takes place in the villages of East Egg, West Egg, and New York City in the 1920s. It depicts the rigid class system of the time and how hard it was to move up in status. Narrated by Nick Carraway, one of the main characters in the book, who witnesses the withering of the American Dream for Jay Gatsby and the shallowness of the upper class. Each character in the book has a unique personality, characterized by descriptions of where they lived.

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