F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the novel, the Great Gatsby, during the 1920s. This decade was characterized by economic and cultural change. With the growth of a new class of new money, Americans began to grow tired of the different social standards of the each social rank and attempted to move into a higher class. Fitzgerald focused on this disparity between classes and several class issues, specifically class mobility. In the year 2005, several journalists wrote and published a group of essays known as Class Matters. These essays discuss modern social and economic class structure and associated class issues. An essential theme in each of these novels is class mobility. The Great Gatsby and Class Matters both explore the differences between classes and the lack of class mobility in order and bring attention to the class imbalance. Class Matters and the Great Gatsby both describe the differences between classes to show how unalike they are. Fitzgerald does this with color symbolism and his characters. He uses several colors as symbols to help him demonstrate the disparity in-between the economic classes. The East Egg homes are described as “white palaces.” The color white stands as a strong symbol of superiority and wealth (Bloom). Fitzgerald describes the valley of ashes as a dull, grey environment. Fitzgerald uses his characters to show the difference in social class. Tom Buchanans is a member of an incredibly wealthy family. Fitzgerald describes Tom as having “two shining arrogant eyes…and a voice full of contempt” (7). Meanwhile, Jay Gatsby, the novel’s protagonist, comes from an incredibly poor family and is described as having an aura of trust and understanding (48). Fitzgerald uses the two contrasting descriptions to show how T... ... middle of paper ... ... People become stuck in a rut. No changes are made, progress is nonexistent, and life becomes boring and dull. The valley is lifeless and dead. Fitzgerald describes the valley like this to show to downsides to no class mobility. Class Matters addresses the topic of class mobility with an essay by Scott and Leonhardt. Scott and Leonhardt write about how the amount of people remaining in the same class has increased exponentially since the 70s (330). This data provides backing to their argument that class mobility has severely decreased. Fitzgerald and the journalists of Class Matters both placed major emphasis the differences in between classes and the absence of class mobility. This was in order to show that changes must be made and class mobility needs to increase. Both classes need to take on some characteristics of the opposite class in order for this to happen.
Social and economic class is something we as Americans like to push into the back of our minds. Sometimes recognizing our class either socially or economically can almost be crippling. When individuals recognize class, limitations and judgment confront us. Instead, we should know it is important to recognize our class, but not let it define and limit us. In the essay, “Class in America”, Gregory Mantsios, founder and director of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education at the School of Professional Studies, brings to light the fact that Americans don’t talk about class and class mobility. He describes the classes in extremes, mainly focusing on the very sharp divide between the extremely wealthy and extremely poor. In contrast, George
To conclude, by creating distinct class structures between the traditional upper class, new wealth, and the poor in The Great Gatsby, it is shown that the desire to maintain or change socio-economic status leads to immoral behaviours and corruption. The competing desires of the emerging class structure in The Great Gatsby cause destruction and loss of vitality to ensue. This eventually leads to immoral activities such as Gatsby’s bootlegging and murder, Wilson’s suicide, and the death of Myrtle. Fitzgerald warns with the emergence of punitive class structures and roles, unethical behaviour will fester which could lead to a polarized society if left unbalanced.
...on materialism and social class. While novel is widely considered a zeitgeist of the time period, it is also a warning for the American Dream. Although the Dream is not Marxist materialism, it is certainly not traditional individualism and freedom. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby poses a question: what is the American Dream?
Scott Fitzgerald wrote an amazing novel called The Great Gatsby. Readers are introduced to a slew of themes and symbols that were relevant to the Roaring Twenties. One of the themes that is recognizable in the story is that of social class and how it plays a role in life. Social class in the twenties was very important to people as it determined where a person stood in life. Women also often married for money, as it gave them the quick way to the top. Social class sadly, is still very relevant in today’s society. People are still too consumed with being popular and rich. But what people need to learn is that being rich is not all about who has the most money, but also, who has someone that is willing to watch them as dirt covers his or hers final resting place. Many people have had thoughts about what his or her funeral would be like, and no one wants to be the only one
In ‘The Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald criticises the increase of consumerism in the 1920s and the abandonment of the original American Dream , highlighting that the increased focus on wealth and the social class associated with it has negative effects on relationships and the poorest sections of society. The concept of wealth being used as a measure of success and worth is also explored by Plath in ‘The Bell Jar’. Similarly, she draws attention to the superficial nature of this material American Dream which has extended into the 1960s, but highlights that gender determines people’s worth in society as well as class.
It is insignificant, for example, that no new social class came to power through the door of the American Revolution. Degler says, “ The men who engineered the revolt were largely members of the colonial ruling class. Peyton Randolph and Patrick Henry were well-to-do members of the Virginia Assembly; Washington, reputed to be the richest man in America, was an officer in the Virginia militia.” (Degler 125) This is showing how the social classes stayed the same and didn’t change because all the wealthy and popular people stayed wealthy and
Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a constant theme present: social class. Fitzgerald makes a connection between the theme of social class, and the settings in the novel for example The Valley of Ashes which is described as a “desolate area of land” (p.21) and a “solemn dumping ground” (p.21) which is where the poor people live. The Valley of Ashes is situated between West Egg and New York, West Egg being the place where the aspiring classes are situated, which is the “less fashionable of the two” (p.8), this is where Gatsby lives. West Egg is the place of ‘new money’, Fitzgerald shows this by the idea of the main character Jay Gatsby, rumoured to be selling illegal alcohol (prohibition) which means he is quickly making vast amounts of money.” Who is this Gatsby anyhow? Some big bootlegger?”(p.86) Gatsby shows off the amount of wealth he has by his fabulous parties and oversized mansion. “There was music from my neighbour's house through those summer nights. In his enchanted gardens, men and girls came and went like moths, among the whispering and the champagne and the stars.”(p.33) Fitzgerald uses the word ‘enchanted’ to paint a visual picture of what the house and the scene looks like, a magical and enchanted castle, with elegant furniture. This is in comparison to East Egg where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live, in a house where “The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside” (p.10). East Egg being the place of ‘old money’ which is made from the inheritance of their past generations, the people who live it East Egg are mainly well educated, historically wealthy and live quite elegantly, but they are also quite ‘snobbish’. Gatsby’s background does not fit into the social standards of East Egg...
Society today is split in many different ways: the smart and the dumb, the pretty and the ugly, the popular and the awkward, and of course the rich and the poor. This key difference has led to many areas of conflict among the population. The rich and the poor often have different views on issues, and have different problems within their lives. Moral decay and materialism are two issues prevalent among the wealthy, while things such as socio-economic class conflict and the American dream may be more important to those without money. Ethics and responsibilities are an area of thought for both classes, with noblesse oblige leaning more towards the wealthy. The world in the Roaring Twenties, shown in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the world today all hinge on the same ideas and issues, the most basic of which is the difference between the poor and the rich.
In the book “The Great Gatsby” we are presented with this idea of classes. In the novel there are three classes presented, which are working class, newly rich (earned), and old money (inherited). The Great Gatsby displays the fact that social classes played a large part in the lives of people in the year 1925. One specific time in which it shows the different classes is in the beginning of the book.
“The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the vast social difference between the old aristocrats, the new self-made rich and the poor. He vividly interprets the social stratification during the roaring twenties as each group has their own problems to deal with. Old Money, who have fortunes dating from the 19th century, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The New Money made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth. As usual, the No Money gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving them forgotten or ignored. Such is exemplified by Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson and Tom Buchanan. Their ambitions distinctly represent their class in which Fitzgerald implies strongly about.
There was a wide gap between the rich and the poor in the beginning of the twentieth-century. The rich lived extravagant, fun-filled, and care-free lives, while the poor worked tirelessly just to survive. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald used the main characters to show how lower class people have to pay for the mistakes of higher class people.
The recurring themes of society, class, and self identity can be seen throughout many different writings of the 20th century. Two of these writings include, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both novels focus on the protagonist's goal of achieving equal rights in their own environment while at the same time trying to figure out who they are in the world. In the early 1900s, when “Their Eyes Were Watching God” takes place, slavery had very recently been abolished (relatively speaking) and the lasting effects of segregation take a toll on Janie, the protagonist. In the Great Gatsby, although Jay Gatsby is white, and thus does not have to deal with the factor of race, he struggles with many different aspects of American Society, mainly the class system and the American Dream. The American dream depicted by F.Scott Fitzgerald is a desire to gain wealth and prosperity. However, at the same time the book does not suggest that wealth equates to success. Even though Gatsby does have material wealth, he is not successful in gaining what he wants to be happy. Despite his material wealth, Gatsby is never united with the love of his life, Daisy. This shows that even though Gatsby has achieved the dream of wealth and prosperity, he has not achieved his final goal. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie too believes in the American Dream, and similarly to Gatsby, it is not a dream of wealth and prosperity. For her, it’s a dream of Freedom in all aspects of life. Both characters however, spend much of their time trying to conform to the rest of the world and essentially be like “everyone” else instead of trying to be distinct individuals. Societal norms of the early 1900s tak...
This essay discusses the role of social mobility in Great Gatsby. It argues that not all people can reach the highest social class, this is a class you must belong to from the beginning of life or marry in to. However, the characters are living the American dream which makes social mobility to the other social classes available. The essay addresses the American Dream, the difference in social class between the main characters, and how social mobility is unreachable. There are two frames of values for social mobility in The Great Gatsby.
The "American Dream" supposedly allows everyone to climb the "social/economic ladder," if they wish to do so. Anyone that works hard is supposed to be able to move to a higher class. However, society often prevents social mobility. Social classes dictate who moves to a higher class and who does not. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, this issue was especially prevalent. The rigidity of classes was often an underlying theme in many novels during this time period. For example, The Age of Innocence and The Great Gatsby both feature the exclusive nature of social classes as a motif. In both The Age of Innocence and The Great Gatsby, the rigidity of social classes and the desire for social mobility leads to the downfall of several
In conclusion, Fitzgerald presents class as a definite thing, and illustrates how attempts to change your class will lead to tragedy. Although he doesn't glamorize it, he portrays the idea that class cannot be altered. This is contrasted in Pride and Prejudice where Austen seems to respect the class system, not when it operates as a dividing power in society, but when it 'acts as a force for morality'. Both endings show that people will always be willing to strive and 'beat on, boats against the current' for a higher class life, despite the outcome.