Saturday 14 January 2012

The Great Gatsby, The role of Social Classes.


      For my English class I read the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was quite a compelling story of a man (Gatsby) with the American dream. Jay Gatsby, a character in the novel is trying to retain his true love. The problem is that she is of a much higher social class then himself and when he was off at war she got married to a man of equal social class who lives on the East Egg, one of the two main locals in this novel. There is East Egg and West Egg. East Egg represents "old money", where West Egg represents "nouveau riche". In the novel Jay Gatsby comes across some wealth due to the business ethnics of a friend. He soon starts pursuing the American Dream, in hopes to change his social class and win back his true love. He becomes a resident of the West Egg. This Fight over Daisy (Gatsby's true love) between Jay Gatsby and Tom (Daisy's current husband) is one of the ways F. Scott Fitzgerald has set up social tension within the novel, it is East Egg vs. West Egg, old money vs. new money. It reveals the huge difference between the two social classes. To simply be rich (nouveau riche) or to be rich and well educated (old money). through out the course of this event in the book it becomes quite apparent that although Gatsby is wealthy he cannot fake the behavior or education that is associated with old money.

   A part in the novel that i felt really revealed social class was when daisy was driving home with Gatsby and Jordan i believe after a verbal fight had broken out between Gatsby and Tom, and she hits a women who comes running out of a gas station. It wasn't the instant where this catastrophe occurs that revealed the power of social class to me but after wards. Daisy failed to stop and asses the situation, she performed a hit and run and the women died. The part that reveals the power of their social class is shortly after. Daisy and Tom quickly pack up and head off on a trip not telling anyone where they are going or when they will be back, shows how they use their wealth and social power to avoid the consequences of their actions. It gives of the impression that they feel that then can do what ever they want just because of their social standing and wealth associated with it.
 
 Near the end of the novel when Nick (the narrator of the story) meets Jay Gatsby's father, for the funeral of Jay Gatsby, I found it to be quite revealing of how much Jay Gatsby's social class had actually changed. His father is an old and simple man who lived a simple life and wasn't very wealthy at all, in fact the house that he currently resigns in was bought for him by Jay Gatsby. Gatsby's father shares with Nick the story of Jay as a child. he tells how he left home early pursuing a better life, which as far as wealth goes he successfully achieved. The story helps nick to realize that Jay had grown allot as a man but still maintained attributes he had when he was younger before he had changed his social standing that are essential to his personality and character as a person. at one point in the novel Nick says to Jay Gatsby, "They're a rotten crowd, you're worth the whole damn bunch put together" where he is referring to Daisy and Tom. This is saying that although Daisy and Tom are wealthy and of high social class, they highly lack in terms of character when compared to Jay.  


I fell that this picture depicts Jay Gatsby's personality because he was always nice and polite to everyone he met throughout the novel.



       This is a video on youtube i found that summarizes the novel The Great Gatsby and touches on social class used within the novel and thoroughly explores Jay Gatsby's passion and devotion towards the American Dream and defines the American Dream.

  I found that social class was not only portrayed through the relation and conflict of Daisy, Gatsby and Tom but also through the relation ship between Jordan Baker and Nick. Jordan is from the higher upper class of old money where as Nick comes from a high middle class. It shows in contrast the differences between the two classes. Jordan from old money thinks of herself as the best and always wants to be the best no matter what the cost, this turn her into a dishonest and selfish person where as Nick form the upper middle class is well aware that although he is fairly well off there are most certainly people above him as well as under him and because of this acknowledgement he is always considering social class and hierarchy when he meets new people. Over the course of the novel and as their relationship progresses, Nick begins to see Jordan as the dishonest and selfish person she has grown up to be and realizes that he does not want to end up being like her and Tom.

  During the beginning of the novel Gatsby always throws huge parties people of higher social class. These parties show how people desire the american dream because allot of his guests talk down towards Gatsby because of their envy towards him and his wealth and leisure to do as he wishes. they are also in pursue of the american dream and wish to be as well set as Gatsby has made himself. Yet these parties also show what i believe, which is that now matter how hard you try due to personality you can never fully change your social class. Gatsby walks around his parties unnoticed and to me he feels that he does not belong or fit in to these type of high class social events. this is another instances that strongly shows that he is originally from a lower social class.

 

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