Comparing The East Egg Vs. The West Egg

Nick moved from Midwestern America to the East Coast. Cities have historically been viewed as centers of depravity, while rural areas represent simplicity and thus a kind of innocence. Every time the characters travel between the Eggs and the city, they pass beneath a billboard containing the infamous eyes of

Once Nick Carraway, the narrator, moves into a small home in West Egg, he soon comprehends that East Egg and West Egg are completely different. Carraway realizes the East Egg is where the upscale residents live and West Egg is more economically disadvantaged as he explains, “I lived at West Egg, the--well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (Fitzgerald 5). East Egg residences extremely wealthy people whose wealth has been passed down the line for years, while West Egg houses the hard-working people who build up their wealth. Furthermore, Thomas C. Fowler defines that living in a wealthy, luxurious geographical environment can reconstruct a character into a conceited personality explaining, “Literary geography is typically about humans inhabiting spaces, and at the same time the spaces inhabiting humans” (174). This theory is correct because the residences’ in East Egg are spoiled, selfish people finding themselves in a wealthy and treasured lifestyle.

The people of East Egg who are “old money” are further portrayed as elegant and down to earth by what the wear and how they dress. Jordan Baker and Daisy are both two women who

It is filled with the people who are born into the rich and established families - the old money. They are a lot more stuck up than the people who live on the West Egg. The East Egg is an elite society filled with carelessness, fashion, corruption, and lack of consideration others. Nick cannot forgive Daisy and Tom for their negligence and says “[They are] all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made ” (Fitzgerald 137). After Gatsby dies, Nick begins to see the true colors of the people he is surrounded by. No one shows to Gatsbys funeral and the Buchanans move away, leaving no new address and no way of being contacted.

Nick’s descriptions of the two houses depict a true representation of the person within. No matter how alike the houses are in size or style, Nick is able to identify the people inside with his word choices and honest perceptions. At the beginning Nick says East and West Egg were “identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay”, but the “more arresting phenomenon is their dissimilarity in every particular except shape and size”(5). The contrasting dynamic of

East Egg represents old money and the wealthier live there while the West Egg represents new money and “less fashionable of the two”; the ones who have become rich recently.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses West Egg and East Egg as a symbol for class systems to reveal the differences between the two social classes. The difference between the two social classes are vast. East Egg refers to whom came into wealth. West Egg refers to whom carried down wealth from traditional upper-class families. During the 20th century, East Egg residents were more prestigious. “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you had (Fitzgerald 1).” Many wealthy people were born into wealth. Some wealthy are born poor but had to earn their way up. “And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool(Fitzgerald 30).” Women who were housewives in the 1920s didn’t get as much respect as Men did (BBC 7). “An Oxford man!” He was incredulous. “Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit (Fitzgerald 110).”

When comparing West Egg and East Egg, the reader perceives the differences and similarities of wealthy and middle class characters as members of American society. Both sides of the American spectrum try to embellish on the fantasies of life, often holding gatherings. While at a party in West Egg with Tom Buchanan, Nick Carraway meets Myrtle Wilson the wife of a local mechanic, and mistress of Mr. Buchanan. “The apartment was on the top floor – a small living room, a small dining room, a small bedroom and a bath. The living room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it so that to move about was to stumble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in gardens of Versailles” (Fitzgerald, 33). According to the entry depicting the apartment where the party is held, the people of West Egg have no room in their lives for glamour

In the novel, you see through the eyes of Nick Carraway, who just moved into West Egg.

New York City represents the mystery and beauty in the world, and West Egg represents the people that have gotten rich off the economy. The Valley of Ashes is in between New York City and West Egg, so it represents the people that are caught in the middle. In other words, it represents middle-class

West Egg formed for people married to the idea of the American Dream, they believed that the illusions of success like East Eggers, Tom, and Daisy Buchanan were a possibility

The East Egg and West Egg are symbolic of the effects of wealth and the corruption of values. The West Egg is the home of the newly rich, like Gatsby, and those like him who have made huge fortunes, but lack the traditions associated with old wealthy families. The West Egg made up of families like the Buchanans, have a tradition of money, have grown up with money and have never had to work for anything     

West Eggers are the newly rich; the people who have worked hard and earned their money in a short period of time. Their wealth is epitomized on material possessions. Gatsby, like the West Eggers, lacks the traditions of the East Eggers. He is considered 'new money', in the sense that his wealth came to him more recently through his own success. Although Gatsby is now a part of this class, his faith and belief in the success of his dreams has allowed him to preserve some morality. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, lives in West Egg and exhibits honesty in this place of superficiality. Clearly the West is able to preserve some ethics while the East is not able to grasp any. Although West Egg is the more moral, it is still a place of superficiality and materialism.

First, the status of the families is one way to show the contrast between the Valley of Ashes, East Egg, and West Egg. The families of East Egg are wealthier than those of West Egg and the Valley of Ashes. East and West Egg symbolize wealth and high status. The Buchanan’s wealth and status are shown by the fact that they have an expensive house and car,

Additionally the interior yellow can symbolize gold and lavish objects. Moreover an egg is used as the division of the town East egg and West egg. This precious metal is a social status and signifies wealth. The division of these competing areas separates the newly rich from the historically wealthy families. The narrator Nick, comments that he lives in West Egg, being the,” well the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (Gatsby 5). By saying this, nick expresses the idea of his egg (West Egg) being less fashionable and desirable than the other more prominent side (East Egg). Even though some might not live in the more fashionable part of town you still can achieve the American Dream. Nick and the west side represent those that have actually worked hard and earned their new status. This part of town houses Nick and Gatsby, which do show that if you put in hard work you, can achieve the American dream.