The Great Gatsby Marxist Lens Essay

Throughout history, power has always been unequally distributed among people. From kings having a majority of power to slaves having none, the society of 1920s America mirrored the ways of the past. However, instead of kings and slaves, the differing classes would be the upper class and lower class. Viewing the different classes and the power each class holds is the foundation of the Marxist lens. A Marxist lens shows how rich people in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby are able to avoid the unwanted effects of their actions unlike their less wealthy counterparts, as contrasted by the actions of Daisy and Tom versus Myrtle. Myrtle’s lack of money led to her facing the consequences of her actions. Early in the novel, Tom is shown to be involved in an extramarital affair.

The crash “‘must have killed her instantly’” (Fitzgerald 144), and that woman was soon to be discovered to be Myrtle. George mourned Myrtle’s death, even going as far as avenging her death. Because Daisy fled the scene, the true nature of Myrtle’s death was not revealed, so George created a scenario in his head. That scenario concluded that the man Myrtle was having an affair with and who was also “‘the man in that car’” (Fitzgerald 159) was the one responsible for her death. Due to his grief, George searched for the man who owned a yellow car, leading him to Gatsby. In a fit of mania, George shot Gatsby, and Nick and Gatsby’s gardener later discovered, “Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass” (Page 162). Because of Daisy’s fleeing the scene of the car accident, Gatsby was murdered. Not only did Daisy flee the scene of the accident, she also fled East Egg. Because she had enough money to uproot herself from her home, she was able to flee from the ensuing chaos that occurred because of her actions. She did not have to witness Gatsby’s death and ensuing funeral, nor did she have to answer for her