What Is The Privilege In The Great Gatsby

“ The price of greatness is responsibility” (Winston Churchill) . Responsibility plays a role in the novel The Great Gatsby in multiple ways. However, irresponsibility of the characters has more of an impact on the novel. The characters did not take responsibility for their actions throughout the novel, they were also irresponsible in their use of money and also Daisy and Tom with their child. The example of irresponsibility that had the biggest impact was their driving. The lives of the characters are heavily impacted by the irresponsibility of others or themselves.

Gatsby Essay Rough Draft The characters of The Great Gatsby seemed to take automobiles for granted, and many did not pay attention to any laws or drive carefully. This recklessness led to Myrtle’s death, and ultimately Gatsby’s and Wilson’s, too. In the early 1920s, Ford made automobiles more widely available and designed prices to make them affordable to the middle class.

The emerging inequitable class systems and antagonisms of the nineteen twenties saw the traditional order and moral values challenged, as well as the creation of great wealth for few and poverty for many. The Great Gatsby, written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, explores the causes and effects of the unbalanced class structures. Fitzgerald outlines the idea that the desire to accumulate wealth and status is a common ambition amongst the lower classes; when that desire is reached, the traditional upper class is challenged by the emerging newly wealthy, which finally leads to destructive consequences. By creating rigid class structures, traditional upper class, new wealth, and the poor in The Great Gatsby, it is

Class, gender, and race are just a few of the classifications that have directly impacted one’s financial, legal, and personal freedoms throughout history. There are several examples in Charles Waddell Chesnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition and Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth that will shed light to the many situations in which the characters find themselves that display the sort of inequality that was quite common in the 20th century.

Is status more important than The American Dream? According to Gatsby that’s the case, he uses his status more than anything. The American Dream can mean many things to different people. My definition of it would be being happy, having money, and being successful in life. Fitzgerald's definition of The American Dream is being happy and having lots of money, he shows this by having the green light symbolize Gatsby's happiness with Daisy. Gatsby is also very wealthy in the book. When it comes to The Great Gatsby, status plays an important role in society and each character lives up to it. This book shows Gatsby's using status by making him the title of the book and the most well-known wealthy man in the book, shows him reaching his goals, and trying to impress Daisy with his status.

When it comes with the law, justice, and order to justify someone’s death; there is always a person who is the one to cause the death, in this case, Gatsby is the one who dies. However, his death was left uncertain because it’s uncertain on who caused his death. In The Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald, the death of Gatsby and the responsibility that lead up till his demise is due to Gatsby’s entrapment in his dream world, Daisy’s Selfish wants for Gatsby’s possessions, and Tom’s perspective towards Gatsby.

Dave Chappelle talks about how many different types of people in society today benefit from racism and other social constructs whether or not they know it. While minority groups toil under racism, sexism and classism the majority groups benefit. While blacks were heavily oppressed from times of slavery all the way until the Jim Crow era whites benefited from the system of oppression. Back when women had no rights and sexism was rampant men were benefactors and while life gets harder and harder for the poor it gets easier and easier for the rich. In the books we read race and class are major themes in all of them. Many characters get the short end of the privilege stick while others benefit greatly from different types of privilege whether or not they are aware of it. Most of the characters are either too young or too ignorant to do anything about the privilege gap in these books. Chappelle talks about opportunities given to those with privilege. Whether it’s having the knowledge that getting kicked out of one prestigious prep school just means enrollment in another or simply being able to freely go wherever a person wants knowing they won’t be questioned or beaten unequal opportunities based on privilege are plentiful in our novels this year. While several characters exemplify the benefits of privilege Kevin, Scout and Holden best illustrate what privilege, whether known or unknown, can do for a person.

Societal values related to wealth and class are seen as unjust by the authors, which is why they personify that the wealthy, although higher up in the hierarchy of classes, are not divine and do not have the sincere human morals that the less fortunate usually

Fitzgerald, in his sarcastic novel The Great Gatsby, frequently shows how racism and classism seriously influence the possibilities of achieving American dreams in obscure methods. The novel details Gatsby’s achievements and dream including Daisy, and makes comparison with other people in different races and classes indirectly but visibly. The fact that, though Gatsby is much wealthier than those in East Egg, he has never achieved the American dream, never owned Daisy truly and never acquired respect, but rumours, due he isn’t born in high class and makes money through bootleg. To some extent, the miserable end of Gatsby is the reflection of the disparity of classism. Gatsby’s mansion reminds people of the feasibility of making the American dream come true. However, his unexpected death that is not caught by police, but killed by Wilson, a white man in mid class, proves that it is related to races and classes closely. Fitzgerald takes us into the suffering of Gatsby to show us that the American dream is like a shell company, which makes everyone look forward to their future with great expectations, but only certain people can truly reach it because people are not standing on the same starting line.

Robbing banks, committing illegal acts, murder, and peeing on Lady Liberty are acts that people could pursue at any given time. In contrast, helping others through volunteering, through starting up food drives and feeding the impoverished are examples of positive pursuits. It is the freedom that provides the opportunity for boundless doing, allowing for individuals to explore whatever is chosen. Within the film Destino, freedom is portrayed through the two character’s journey toward loving one another; in the novel, The Great Gatsby, it is shown by Jay Gatsby’s ability to use his wealth in an attempt to obtain Daisy’s love. The characters in both stories have the freedom to do anything in life but are bound to their lovers; however, through their love, they may experience a sense of purpose. By comparing these two media, audiences can ponder the question: does love forge freedom or does it expunge it from one’s life?

Throughout history people have continuously felt the need to validate themselves by the number in their bank account or their status in society. Americans are constantly concerned with what other people think about them. They want to make sure they look the part which means having certain things and maintaining a lifestyle that proclaims their family’s social status. Whether it is adhering to high social standards or splurging on luxurious goods, people were willing to do whatever it took to maintain a high social standing. From 1914 to 1945, American Literature portrayed that Americans’ pursuit of wealth and social status was not only unfulfilling, but also became a barrier that separated people.

Privilege is a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people. It is an issue that has been occurring throughout the world since the dawn of time. It is a heavily debated topic and still continues to be a problem in today’s society. An example of past privilege is On the Road by Jack Kerouac. It is a Beat Generation historical fiction novel published September 5, 1957. It takes place in the U.S. right after WWII. On the Road demonstrates how privilege can promote the glorification of prejudice and poverty.

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, cars serve as status symbols for various characters functioning to criticize the material carelessness of wealthy people in American Society. Moreover, Fitzgerald highlights the interactions concerning a character and their car to reveal the deceitful nature of people and their disregard for mankind.

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,

Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a constant theme present: social class. Fitzgerald makes a connection between the theme of social class, and the settings in the novel for example The Valley of Ashes which is described as a “desolate area of land” (p.21) and a “solemn dumping ground” (p.21) which is where the poor people live. The Valley of Ashes is situated between West Egg and New York, West Egg being the place where the aspiring classes are situated, which is the “less fashionable of the two” (p.8), this is where Gatsby lives. West Egg is the place of ‘new money’, Fitzgerald shows this by the idea of the main character Jay Gatsby, rumoured to be selling illegal alcohol (prohibition) which means he is quickly making vast