People often think that money alone determines one’s position in life. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby wants to change his social class from the lower class to the upper class in order to marry Daisy, an upper class women. Gatsby believes he can change his social class by becoming rich. Money can make it appear as though someone is in a different social class, but in reality the upper class is not just about money, but about manners and what the money is used for. Though Gatsby acquired enough wealth to be considered upper class, he never truly changes his social class because of where his money comes from, his mannerism, and his background. Having an abundance of money may make it appear as though someone is upper …show more content…
The upper class is divided into new money and old money with old money being of a higher status than new money. Old money status is achieved when the money is passed down along a family for generations, for example, “Tom Buchanan, wealthy by inheritance” (Lena). Gatsby unlike Tom Buchanan, did not receive his money from inheritance, so he is considered new money. Gatsby does not understand that “money alone does not bring with it the same status as inherited wealth”, and he is looked down upon and judged, making him an outcast who does not fit into the upper class (Stocks). Also, at one of Gatsby’s parties Tom says “A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootlegger, you know” (Fitzgerald 107). Tom calling Gatsby newly rich signifies that he classifies Gatsby as a lower class than himself, and by calling him a bootlegger, Tom shows that he along with other old wealth citizens do not respect the newly rich or consider them in their class. Carla Verderame also notices Tom’s judgement of Gatsby and says “ [Gatsby] represents ‘new money’ and is, therefore, looked upon with …show more content…
One of the most important parts of being upper class is having a recognizable name that brings both prestige and power. The Carraway family is a family that “have been prominent, well-to-do people in [the] Middle western city for three generations” (Fitzgerald 3). Due to his family name, Nick grew up with connections such as family friends and relatives such as “ Daisy [his] second cousin once removed” and her husband Tom who he knew in college (Fitzgerald 5). These connections made it so that he had no trouble fitting into the upper class and expanding his social connections. Gatsby’s legal name, Gatz, makes gatsby “the son of unsuccessful farmers,” and with that status comes no social connection or respect, so “Gatsby cannot remain as James Gatz… and has to become Jay Gatsby” (stocks). Because Gatsby was not born with a respectable name his status is a lie, and he actually remains in the social class of his legal family, the Gatz. Another advantage that comes with a respectable name is the privileged upbringing. Along with the money, the upper class children inherited good breeding. Like Claire Stocks says “As a member of the elite east Egg community, Tom would be unlikely to want to be ‘equal’ to those who do not have the same good breeding and inherited money”(Stocks). Gatsby cannot fit into the upper class because he is the son of “shiftless
Chapter 1: Chapter one introduces the reader to the narrator Nick Halloway and most of the other other characters of the story. Including his cousin daisy, her husband tom and their friend jordan - the golfer. Nick comes from a wealthy family; however, doesn’t believe in inheriting their wealth. Instead he wishes to earn his own wealth by selling bonds in the stock market. Chapter one also talks about the separation of the rich. Where the east egg represents the inherently rich whereas west egg represents the newly rich. The people in the east also seem to lack social connections and aristocratic pedigree. Whereas the people in west egg possess all those qualities usually lacked by people in the east.With nick living
Tom having an affair with a middle class woman was a huge class difference. Also Daisy will not leave Tom to be with Gatsby because even though Gatsby has money he is not seen as high class. Gatsby lives in West Egg not East egg so he is not as classy as Tom and Daisy. Daisy doesn’t care that Gatsby had changed from the poor man she once new because she thinks that Tom’s old money is better than Gatsby’s new money. The rich seem to be unified by their money. There are also several class differences. There are the characters like Daisy, Tom, and Jordan who were born into wealth. Their families have had money for many generations, hence they are old money. The novel portrays this because people of old money do not have to work, they just spend their time fascinating their selves. They impose a distinction on Gatsby where his life is not based on how much money he has, but where his money came from and when it was received. In Daisy, Tom, and Jordan’s eyes they think he can’t possibly have the same sensibility, taste, and refinement they have. Gatsby may have money now but in their eye he once was poor so he can’t possibly be anything like them. They believe the people with new money cannot be like the ones with old
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.
The American Dream is something common to most individuals, however it's one thing that everybody views in several ways. The American Dream is totally different for everybody, however they share a number of a similar aspects of it. The dream relies mainly on the setting of wherever one lives and one‘s social status. for instance, The Declaration of Independence was by Thomas Jefferson, who was an upper class white male. He needed freedom, however freedom for people like himself that were white land owning people. martin luther King, in his I have a Dream speech, also demanded freedom, but mostly for African Americans like him. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in his book the great Gatsby, that he wants to eliminate the rich, which he was a section of. every American Dream is somewhat totally different, however all of them relate to the days that one lives in.
Benjamin Franklin once said “Money has never made man happy, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness." This is arguably one of the most cliché quotes of all time. If money cannot provide happiness, then what exactly can it do? The characters of Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan open a door to a world in which money was the sole motivation for their success and the only reason for their power. When the reader uses a Marxist critical lens during chapter four of F. Scott 's Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, the social hierarchy reveals how Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan utilize the importance of money and social power to manipulate others in their lives.
Nick's neighbor Gatsby is a wealthy person, who spends a lot of money giving parties for strangers only to meet Daisy, the dream of his life. He is seen as representing "new money" because he has no good education and no family background over several generations, he is self-made, invented by himself. For this reason, he is not accepted as being dignified enough to enter the exclusive "old money" upper class.
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.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby was born into a life of poverty and as he grew up he became more aware of the possibility of a better life. He created fantasies that he was too good for his modest life and that his parents weren’t his own. When he met Daisy, a pretty upper class girl, his life revolved around her and he became obsessed with her carefree lifestyle. Gatsby’s desire to become good enough for Daisy and her parents is what motivates him to become a wealthy, immoral person who is perceived as being sophisticated.
In The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby’s mission to integrate different social classes as an impossible feat. Tom is a fervent racist and believer in the established social hierarchy that places the old money class so far above the new money class. He resists against the merging of social classes and the equality power of minorities, so Fitzgerald uses Tom to represent the backlash against diversification and democratization in the 1920’s. Gatsby, however, belongs to the new money class, and he tries to blur the distinction between new money and old money by taking Daisy from Tom and hosting wild parties. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby to represent the 1920’s push for democratization and inclusion. Gatsby’s belief that he
“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.
Much like in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, society treats views and treats people with money differently than those without it. For example, Tom and Daisy get away with the death of Tom’s mistress because of their wealth “His family was enormously wealthy – even in collage his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (Fitzgerald,23). Further the reason that Daisy had not married Gatsby all those years ago was because he was poor, it was not until he had an enormous house and lots of money “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me” (Fitzgerald ,367). It was not until Gatsby became wealthy did Daisy want to marry him “After she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house” (Fitzgerald, 311). Moreover, Gatsby’s own personal success was based on how Daisy perceived his house “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well loved eyes.” (Fitzgerald, 260). Critic Karielle Stephanie Gam agrees with this view of success “His wealth is never cloaked; from the mansion, to the weekly parties, to the countless dress shirts and expensive cars, it is evident that Gatsby is rich as sin and is initially, though his inclusion in the nouveau riche, the epitome of the American dream.” (Karielle Stephanie
F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates, in the classic novel The Great Gatsby, how the Americans class systems were divided during the 1920’s. In all, there “old” rich, “new” rich, and “not” rich. In each class, Fitzgerald shows the concept of each class wanting to reach the American dream and struggles to remain secure. Tom and Daisy both shares the “old” rich lifestyle.
He was as poor as could be and only gained any knowledge and hope of a different future from his parents due to a chance meeting with a rich and extravagant man. From him, Gatsby learned the ways of the wealthy and what it takes to be rich, however, he was never truly a member of the upper class. Just before Gatsby’s death, Nick comments that Gatsby is worth more than all of them put together, referring to the upper class. (154). However, Nick is only able to make this comment as Gatsby is not truly a part of the upper class that Daisy belongs to. Despite gaining the wealth, fame, and general appearance of the rich, at heart Gatsby is still the poor man that fell in love with Daisy five years prior. He lives in the past. Gatsby had no shot with Daisy as she needed someone who truly fit the constructs of the upper class, while Gatsby could never fulfill that requirement. Achieving Daisy would have been the epitome of the upper class. Lois Tyson writes in Critical Theory Today, “Possession of Daisy would give Gatsby what he really wants; a permanent sign that he belongs to her socioeconomic class, to the same bright, spotless, airy, carefree world of the very rich the Daisy embodies for him…” (71). If Gatsby had won Daisy’s love, it would have proved that he could assimilate with the wealthy. The failure of Gatsby to do so is a
On one level The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald comments on the careless gaiety and moral decadence of the period in which it was set. It contains innumerable references to the contemporary scene. The wild extravagance of Gatsby's parties, the shallowness and aimlessness of the guests and the hint of Gatsby's involvement in crime all identify the period and the American setting. But as a piece of social commentary The Great Gatsby also describes the failure of the American dream, from the point of view that American political ideals conflict with the actual social conditions that exist. For whereas American democracy is based on the idea of equality among people, the truth is that social discrimination still exists and the divisions among the classes cannot be overcome. Myrtle's attempt to break into the group to which the Buchanans belong is doomed to fail. Taking advantage of her vivacity, her lively nature, she seeks to escape from her own class. She enters into an affair with Tom and takes on his way of living. But she only becomes vulgar and corrupt like the rich. She scorns people from her own class and loses all sense of morality. And for all her social ambition, Myrtle never succeeds in her attempt to find a place for herself in Tom's class. When it comes to a crisis, the rich stand together against all outsiders.
Gatsby believes in the aforementioned "American Dream." Thus, Gatsby believes that money alone will allow him to enter the upper class. However, the unspoken truth of the "American Dream" is that class mobility requires money and the culture typical of the upper class. Gatsby becomes wealthy, but his lack of this culture prevents him from fulfilling his goal of social mobility. Writer Andrew B. Trigg discusses Gatsby 's inability to climb the social ladder: "culture provides a barrier to entering the top echelons of the leisure class" (Trigg.) Throughout The Great Gatsby, Gatsby 's lack of taste is evident, which leads to the upper class 's rejection of him. Gatsby repeatedly displays his wealth in excessive ways. Gatsby throws extravagant parties, buys flamboyant clothes, and purchases an opulent car and mansion. Throughout the novel, these displays of wealth are met by criticism from those that Gatsby is trying to impress. Tom Buchanan, Daisy 's husband, and a man of inherited wealth, detests Gatsby. In Chapter seven, Tom frequently criticizes Gatsby for his gaudy displays of wealth. First, Tom criticizes Gatsby 's car: " 'Come on, Daisy, ' said