Social Groups In The Great Gatsby

In any great novel, an understanding of the era in which the story is set can lead to a deeper appreciation of the author’s themes and characters. For example, the themes that preoccupied F. Scott Fitzgerald, issues of social class, the dynamics of prohibition, and the culture of excessive consumption, would be difficult to convey on their own. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the social, political, and moral environment of America in the 1920s sheds greater light on the otherwise complex forces that drive the characters in The Great Gatsby.

In the period of the 1920s, a certain status of wealth was difficult to achieve. Two consisting societal classes were of those with wealth from prior generations, and who worked to earn it themselves. Tom, Daisy, and Nick, who represented the old money society did not have to work hard, unlike Gatsby, which he represented the new money and they had money to work and earn for. People like Gatsby, who gained their wealth on their own often fought for the approval from the upper class who inherited their wealth. Rather than having new money and old money, people who tried to achieve the American Dream and ended up in failure usually they end up like George and Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, creates the notion that social norms in the upper class depict the idea that being apart of it was impossible unless they were born in it which Daisy expressed through Gatsby’s rejection, because of the corrupt way in which he gained his wealth, making his American Dream unattainable.

Gatsby had bought the mansion so that he’d be close and similar to daisy. "'I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,' went on Jordan."(Fitzgerald 63) Gatsby hosted these extravagant parties to woe Daisy in hope the parties would interest her enough to attend. Gatsby is stuck in his past, he’d posed as a wealthy man at the party which they’d first met at and ever since, this has drove him to his money crazy.

While wealth can be quite alluring, the power associated with it can also shape one's opinions, morals, and overall humanity. Wealth is a significant factor in determining one's position in society, thus the eagerness to obtain more is correlated with the wish to hold a higher status. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, relates to this pursuit of riches and the social hierarchy attached to it. The story takes place during the height of the roaring 1920’s in New York City. Each character represents an economic sphere and has their own ambition for wealth; however, these characters, whether they fail or succeed, lose their humanity in the process. Fitzgerald utilizes the characters Gatsby, Myrtle, and Daisy to demonstrate that the desire for wealth leads to a process of dehumanization, in which morals and identity are displaced.

The novel is based around Jay Gatsby, the protagonist who obtains an exuberant amount of wealth and rises from the well-kept secret working class he was born into. However, he is unable to attain that true upper class, despite the fortune he has amassed. While Gatsby fooled many into believing he was a part of the upper class, he was unable to deceive the upper class. Jay Gatsby is never able to climb to the social class equivalent to his economic class; emphasizing that class strata are not based on how much money is amassed or the possession owned, but, from the social class one is born into. Through the novel, Fitzgerald proves that mobility does not exist and that social fluidity is prevented by the upper classes and their insurmountable grasp over power and control. In the 1920s, American society did not allow for social mobility, portrayed by Gatsby’s downfall as he attempted to delude the upper class by associating wealth with class.

This shows that Gatsby isn’t really happy with his money and he only wants Daisy, but all Daisy cares about is if he has money which had become the new American ideals. This shows that Gatsby was obsessed with becoming wealthy (the American Dream) and all Daisy cared about was being taken care of by a wealthy man. The only thing Americans really cared about in the 20’s was money, and the old American Dream turned into an aspiration for material wealth and it lost the moral aspect of a good, happy

In the period of the 1920’s, there was a certain status of wealth that was difficult to achieve. There were two societal classes consisting of those with wealth from prior generations, and those who worked to earn it themselves. Tom, Daisy, and Nick, who represented the old money society did not have to work hard, unlike Gatsby which he represented the new money and they had to work to earn money. People like Gatsby, who gained their wealth on their own often fought for the approval from the upper class who inherited their wealth. Rather than having new money and old money, people who tried achieving the American Dream and ended up in failure usually they end up like George and Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the notion that social norms in the upper class depict the idea that being apart of it was impossible unless they were born in it was expressed through Daisy’s rejection of Gatsby because of the corrupt way in which he gained his wealth, making his American Dream unattainable.

Now that he has Daisy, money no longer was a priority for him. Showing how money is idolized by humans but in reality it is not needed for us to achieve happiness. Gatsby, built up such a name and networth for himself because he thought having those would make it seem like his dream was achieved, but he really just wanted Daisy’s love. Since, he can't have her love he had just spent his entire life working towards what he was told was his dream but not achieving

Money can buy numerous commodities. From healthy food to life insurance, from job security to sports cars, money makes up for a giant part of one’s daily life. It even has the capacity to arouse emotions; money and power complement each other. With power comes a lack of equity, where social classes emerge. A social status of an individual or family can be determined by the power they hold in a particular region. Since money can rank an individual in society, nothing stops it from influencing people’s behaviors. Often, the social status or wealth affects the character of a person. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays how the characters interact with the society depending on their wealth. The Great Gatsby, set in the 1920s, New York, displays the features of social stratification by complementing it with the development of setting and characterization of the different individuals.

His endearment for Daisy is intertwined with lust and wealth, meaning that Gatsby would be one step closer to the yearning lifestyle of prosperity if he has her. It is identifiable that Daisy’s selection on her men is solely based on their level of wealth since she is mainly drawn to this quality. From this, we can see that Gatsby is chasing after an unattainable dream that will leave him with nothing but

The social hierarchy is influenced by the amount of money one owns which determines whether one can attain their dream. By creating apparent social classes within ‘The Great Gatsby’ – old money, new money and no money, Fitzgerald strongly suggests that American society is intensely stigmatised. Daisy, Tom and Jordan represent the elite social class of society where despite their problems and failures they are always protected and immune by their wealth. Tom refers to Gatsby as ‘Mr Nobody from nowhere” and a “common swindler who would have to steal the ring he put on her finger” as he boasts about his hereditary wealth compared to the other distinct elite group of society who acquire their wealth through business deals, which are sometimes corrupt. Although Fitzgerald mainly attacks the rich, by making them look judgemental, superior and selfish, evidently the lower class of society are vulnerable within American society. This is shown where so many, like Myrtle,

Tom is so wealthy that he could easily afford to move to Paris for a year just because they had nothing to do and then moved to places to play polo, which is the what rich people do. Tom by technicality has achieved the American Dream by becoming a successful and wealthy person. But his achievements have no value as they are incredibly superficial because Tom was handed what so many others fight for their entire lives and there was no possible way in which he would not gain that much wealth. Daisy comes from the same privileged background as Tom and was given any and every thing that she desired. Her wealth is described by Nick and Gatsby when he says, “‘Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly.

“I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth” (2). So speaks Nick in the beginning of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. This exemplifies how people born into different social classes are not born with the same character and ethics. Since people from different classes think so differently, this may cause conflicts between them and might prevent them from having substantial relationships with each other.

The Roaring Twenties, or the Jazz Age, was a period characterized by post-war euphoria, prosperity, profligacy, and cultural dynamism. There were significant changes in lifestyle and culture in the 1920s; many found opportunities to rise to affluence, which resulted in groups of newly rich people, such as the hero of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby. Set in this booming era, the novel portrays the lavish and reckless lifestyle of the wealthy and elite. With the aristocratic upper class in the East Egg and the nouveau riche in the West Egg, people are divided into distinct social classes. Contrasting the two groups’ conflicting values, Fitzgerald reveals the ugliness and moral decay beneath

The Great Gatsby presents different social groups to embody and transmit the idea that each class has it’s own problems to prevail over and unhappiness transcends over all the social classes. The problems in each group, despite the social stratification, reveal the instability of the world they live in. The three classes are old money, new money, and no money in which all three believe their own rules of survival in society and enforce boundaries between social classes. Fitzgerald uses the similarities between the poor and the rich to reinforce his opinion and his characterization of the upper class.