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Socioeconomic Status In The Great Gatsby

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Stereotyping Societal Standings in The Great Gatsby
The novel The Great Gatsby demonstrates the effect of wealth and socioeconomic status in the environment occupied by characters who are presented in being of different societal classes. The role of socioeconomic status in the characters involved within this novel is representative of the idea that one’s wealth and social class does indeed influence his role and location in society. The portrayal of poverty stricken people having low moral standing and wealthy people having arrogance towards others often seems stereotypical, yet it is true to life when considering the roles people play today because of their having money. You can interpret the social standing of the characters obviously offering …show more content…

The idea that their respective social class influences Gatsby’s role and location in society is prevalent because of their interaction with said family and friends. It is also is shown in their own actions which are parallel to distinct structure and sociological reasoning. Yet we see Gatsby coming from “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people,” (Fitzgerald 134) but because he wanted Daisy so bad he made up his own background of a past wealthy existence which pervaded his life.
Gatsby presents a stereotype of personification of class; however, because he “invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent” (Fitzgerald 142) readers feel that Gatsby just lied and cheated to become wealthy and to get what he wanted; Daisy. His justification was by no means for any other reason but his own selfish desires, which can be certainly proclaimed as a stereotypical attitude of those with wealth, not mired in …show more content…

To live as though whatever class presented to society makes the space affective to Gatsby. The unique actions for reasons in relation to his role in society offers readers a view beyond the simple plot we have continually explored in both history and literature. While we see that Gatsby offers a stereotypical pattern, the rich man is arrogant, it goes well beyond stereotypes to show the space in which the character belongs in is one of their own reflective and respective

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby illustrates that materials and possessions are crucial to the plot development and represent the social status of the characters. First automobiles subsist throughout the story to highlight the differences between “new money” and “old money”. Consequently, automobiles are crucial to the conclusion of the novel. In addition, some characters live in small apartments and homes others live in elaborate mansions, which is signifies their social classes. Clothing is used as a means to show social class or pretend to be in a higher one.

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At the end of The Great Gatsby, Nick reflects upon Gatsby’s life and pursuit on the beach where “the green light” at the end of Daisy’s dock can be seen. As a significant metaphor, “the green light” represents Gatsby’s dream which guides him to keep pursuing wealth and social status, while the position of the light, the distant and inaccessible Daisy’s dock, indicates the close connection between Gatsby’s unreal dream and Daisy, and as well the disillusionment of the dream. In the last three paragraphs, Nick explains the disillusionment of Gatsby’s dream, “He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” (162). Gatsby has always strived for his ambition and dream.

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The impact of socioeconomic status can be examined through a myriad of lenses. F. Scott Fitzgerald aims to show the relationship between socioeconomic status and power. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Tom’s character shows that socioeconomic status is equivalent to power within the novel. Tom puts great pride and emphasis on his socioeconomic status and wealth.

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In the Great Gatsby, privilege comes into play. Privilege in this context means being born with advantages that you did not earn or work for. Some people have to work to get their money but others are born with money which means that they didn’t have to work for their money. Gatsby for example was not born with money. He had to make his own money by selling and dealing drugs and is now a very wealthy man.

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Not only does the amount of wealth affect social class, but the type of wealth also affects it. It even affects where people live and who people marry as seen with Gatsby and Daisy. The characters social standing affect who they interact and how they are perceived by others. Fitzgerald highlights the different class structures like “New rich” and “Old rich” and the impact of wealth on the people’s lives in those classes. He also shows the superficial nature of the characters and highlights the value placed on wealth.

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Even though “The Great Gatsby” was written nearly a century ago, many of the themes it has can still be seen in today’s society. During the time the book was written, the economy was in a condition of prosperity because the war ended which lead to technological advances and large profits for businesses. As a result, the dynamics of society changed also. The main focus of the media were on people with fame and wealth. This shows the interests and values of what most people had in the U.S. back then.

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Much like their personality, people during this time period could never settle because they always thought that more is better. Most of their decisions are based off personal benefit. The Great Gatsby contains rhetorical queues, such as logos, ethos, and pathos, that validate that the pursuit of “The American Dream” transforms society into greedy, heartless people. At this time, people only thought about social status because that determined who you partied with and how much money you had.

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In “The Great Gatsby” Fitzgerald presents editorial on an assortment of topics, — equity, control, insatiability, treachery, the American dream. Of the considerable number of subjects, maybe none is more all around created than that of social stratification. The Great Gatsby is viewed as a splendid bit of social discourse, offering a clear look into American life in the 1920s. Fitzgerald deliberately sets up his novel into particular gatherings in any case, at last, each gathering has its own issues to battle with, leaving an effective indication of what a problematic place the world truly is. By making unmistakable social classes — old cash, new cash, and no cash — Fitzgerald sends solid messages about the elitism running all through each stratum of society.

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In many literary works, the wealthy are generally depicted as pretentious or cruel and authors tend to portray their personalities through various methods. In his work The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses literary techniques to distinctly characterize the wealthy. Doing so helps him communicate the work’s theme on the soulless nature of the affluent. Fitzgerald conveys his message by incorporating juxtaposition, effective diction, and suiting moods with his characters.

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Everybody wants to be the wealthy however the poor suffer lots as a result of the by-product of the capitalistic society. The by-product during this novel is the Valley of Ashes. This shows how individuals throw out regard for others in exchange of the pursuit to be wealthy (This is incredibly immoral). This is often believed to be the American Dream. On the opposite hand you have got extravagant parties at the Gatsby house simply to impress a lady.

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The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and narrated by a man named Nick Carraway. This novel was written with the intent of showing the readers how morally corrupt the 1920s were. Throughout the novel, characters abandon their moral values for a materialistic lifestyle. The novel depicts a great picture of the roles men and women played in the 1920s. Even with the changing roles of men and women, they continued to rely heavily on whom they were married to and what social class they belonged to.

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“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald 179). This quote captures the advantages the upper class has because of their money. Tom and Daisy’s actions left three people dead, yet they received no punishments .They put all their baggage on the lower class, and left them to pick up the pieces.     In The Great Gatsby, the theme of social class is very significant in the book. Scott F. Fitzgerald used the theme of social class to show the reader that it plays a much bigger role in life.

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In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, social class is a key theme, as seen by every character having their own distinct class. Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and even Nick are old money, Gatsby is new money, and the Wilson 's are no money. In short, the more money you have, the better off you will be. In the epigraph of the novel, there is a poem by Thomas Parke D 'Invilliers, who is a fictional character created by Fitzgerald himself. This poem is about using materialism to win over the affection of someone, which is exactly what Gatsby tries to do.

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Although The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi represent two vastly different cultures and time periods, both share topics of social divisions, the institutions of life, and morality; however, the two author’s contrasting approaches to these overlapping topics reveal the two author’s respective commentaries on the society within which their work takes place. On the topic of social class, both Persepolis and The Great Gatsby, share the idea that you are born into your class; however, the works differ in the ways they define this idea. Fitzgerald downright challenges this notion of social class with the character of Gatsby, while Satrapi reveals a more convoluted, childlike understanding of social class.

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In the 1920’s, social classes were divided with a large gap. The poor wanted nothing to do with the rich, and the rich wanted even less to do with the poor. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he uses the class structure in the 1920’s to redefine poverty. While the rich people in the novel are material rich, they are still “poor” socially and psychologically. Poverty is shown in a differently in this book than other books being written in this time era, and in doing this, it shows the rich what they are, and how they treat others from a different perspective.

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