The Glass Barrier To The Upper Middle Class In The Great Gatsby

A current event that connects to class war portray in “The Great Gatsby” is the continued segregation of upper middle class in 21th century. In “The glass barrier to the upper middle class is hardening” by Richard Reeves, we see the deepening gaps of classes in modern society. In the article, Reeves explains that the rise of upper middle class, a fifth of the population, toughen the upward social mobility for the class below them. Reeves, who is an economist, believes that upper middle class creates “multidimensional affluence,” in which people of unprivileged class are being restrict by advantages of the riches. He also believes that the majorities who fall behind are not just due to the economy, but also due to other factors that involves

Along with the increased association between top-quintile income and marriage, the differentials for graduate education and two-earner status have each increased by around 10 percentage points between 1979 and 2014” (Reeves par8). Fitzgerald’s emphasis on division between “Old money” and “New money” still continues today according to Reeves’s argument about extreme gap between people of modern society of upper middle class and those who are below them. In the passage Reeves depicts the rise of upper middle class. Here, his point is that rich people marry other fellow wealthy people result in sudden growth of wealth in their marriage. This idea is connected to Fitzgerald's idea of “Old money” unwilling to accept the “New money” in wealthy class in America. The reason is people who inherit their wealth only confine themselves with their fellow “Old money”. Furthermore, this passage reflects Fitzgerald’s portrayal of different living standards. In the present day society, the majorities of those who are below upper middle class lack advantage, such as family structure, education, employment, and