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The Great Gatsby Social Divide Essay

1219 Words5 Pages

Tyler Bloomfield
Dr Andrews
American Literature
12 May 2023
The Dangers of the Growing Social Divide in the 20th Century
In the early 20th century, America was undergoing significant changes as the country moved towards modernization and industrialization. One of the major social issues of the 20th century was the growing divide between the rich and the poor, which was made worse by the period's concern with luxury and money. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby offers strong criticism of social standards in the 20th century. The novel examines the lives of the wealthy class and provides a reflection of the terrible moral standards of the upper class. The novel offers an insight and reminder of the dangers of social divide and social …show more content…

Nick describes Gatsby’s house as, "a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. It was Gatsby’s mansion.(6)" This quote emphasizes Gatsby's lifestyle of wealth as well as his desire to amaze people around him, with his money. The phrase "factual imitation" implies that the house is not an original design, but rather an exact copy of a hotel in Normandy. Gatsby's house is described in this way to show the novel's main point on how consumerism and wealth can corrupt people. The house stands for the height of elegance and excess, yet it is also hollow and empty, due to only Gatsby living in it. By portraying the obsession with wealth and materialism as a factor in the social decline of American society in the early 20th century, Fitzgerald highlights the dangers of social inequality. Through his portrayal of the characters in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald highlights the value of giving back and the need for people to think about how their actions may affect

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