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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

837 Words4 Pages

Wealth and Class in The Great Gatsby Wealth and social status have been the biggest indicators of overall success in society for thousands of years. This idea is used consistently throughout The Great Gatsby, and can be connected to society today. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald uses geographical distinctions and characterization of Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby to show the different levels of social class, and the similarities between Tom and Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald symbolizes the differences between Tom and Gatsby by using descriptive language to characterize the two. Fitzgerald also shows the similarities between the two by using different situations in the novel to demonstrate how they both use their status and wealth to take advantage …show more content…

Though Gatsby lives on the less fashionable side, our narrator, Nick, describes his mansion as “a colossal affair” with “a tower on one side.and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (9). The East Egg, where the Buchanans live, is for those who come from wealthy families. It belongs to individuals who inherit their wealth, rather than work for it themselves. These two descriptions at the beginning of the novel show how Fitzgerald uses geographical distinctions to symbolize the differences between class levels in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald also uses physical descriptions of Gatsby and Tom’s physical characteristics to symbolize the differences between the two characters. Gatsby’s smile was emphasized by Fitzgerald at the beginning of the novel when Nick first met Gatsby. His smile was described by Nick as “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life” (52). In non-verbal communication, a nice smile can be marked by pride and good taste across all cultures. Fitzgerald emphasizes Gatsby’s decorous smile to symbolize the level of class behind

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