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Examples Of Class Differences In The Great Gatsby

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The pursuit of any success in life is a complicated journey. Only a handful of people make it to the big time. The challenge is even more difficult because the amount of people trying to achieve the same goal when only a selected few can. Corruption and deceit are inevitable in a dream driven by money. The Great Gatsby examines and critiques the vision of the American dream. Jay Gatsby is a man whose life was comparable to the American dream. He was a well-known man, had the best parties, lives in a beautiful home, drove the finest cars, and had a closet full of clothes. All these materialistic belongings paint a picture of beauty for those chasing this fictitious happiness. In reality they bring a life full of stress, jealousy, and corruption. …show more content…

In the Roaring Twenties, people from all the social classes suddenly became aware of the class differences. This may be the effect of the jump on the stock market or the aftermath of a world war. It was apparent that the social classes were clearly divided by location, amount of material possessions and the way one person acts. Fitzgerald illustrates these class differences by introducing to us different characters of different social classes and distinctly describes them in the way they act belonging to that of one class. Fitzgerald also introduces to us a setting that was designed to show these class differences by placing them in different locations with a basic layout (Mega essay 2015). For example you have West egg, East egg, and the Valley of ashes. Now while West and East egg are not really different in form of size but more in social class. The East was old money, money that carried on for generations and those people had established lives. Usually grandsons of oil tycoon or 5th heir to a billion dollar company. People on this side were considered flashy and selfish. Ungrateful if you ask me. While over in the West, which was new money and middle class. For those who have just started to acquire money. They could have harsh ways buy I feel they were a little more down to earth being that their money wasn’t for sure. It could all be gone tomorrow. Now aside from the eggs, you have the Valley of ashes. The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small river. A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges, hills, and grotesque gardens. Overseeing the valley are the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg. Big eyes looking out of yellow glasses, almost as God looking over them (Fitzgerald, F. 1925). Valley of Ashes represents absolute poverty and hopelessness. The lower classes who inhibit this region all want to leave but cannot. This illustrates how the American Dream is impossible to

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