Theme Of Poverty In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is filled with lively parties and opulent lifestyles which sweep the reader off their feet and distract the imagination with dreams of luxury, however, the book also holds a valley of despair and misery which serves to show the downfalls of capitalism. Throughout the story, we see the lives of the wealthy, with their extravagant parties, excessive consumerism, and unbelievable luxury, but we also see the lives of the poor, who live in a gray and desolate slum known as the Valley of Ashes, and are forced to pay the cost of the American dream experienced by others. The Valley of Ashes is a dumping ground for the burnt coal used to fuel the city, making it an area where the misery can be directly attributed to the lifestyles of

The upper class continuously socializes and intermingles at parties however all of the relationships they form are shallow and only exist to maintain favors and further their place on the socioeconomic ladder. This shallowness is so pervasive it is seen in their family relationships which often only exist to maintain appearances and connect families. When Daisy summons her daughter for the party, Pammy “rushed across the room and rooted shyly into her mother’s dress”(124), and when Daisy wouldn't need to show her off anymore “the well-disciplined child held to her nurse’s hand and was pulled out the door”(125). This shows the extent to which they are disconnected from one another, Daisy treats her own daughter as an object to be shown off and has no interest in making sacrifices or connecting further with her daughter. This shallowness however would backfire as this lack of respect would lead to many affairs and betrayals, and when someone is in a time of need they would have no close friends to call upon. When Wilson leaves the Valley of Ashes he would object the upper class to the misery he was objected to as he would go on to kill Gatsby and then himself. When Nick found his body he attempted to call as many people as he can to be with Gatsby, as he“ wanted to get somebody for him…but neither a wire nor Mr. Wolfshiem arrived, no one arrived except more police and photographers and newspaper men”(174-175). Despite his incredible parties and the popularity he would gain from them, no one would come to him after his death and he would die in his own pool he had never used. The only man that would come for him would be his abandoned father, showing how he neglected the relationships which were closest to him in his pursuit of grandeur and Daisy. The