Climbing the Social Ladder

1438 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Explain the differences and similarities between neoclassicism and modernism

Over the centuries, several social barriers have fallen away. In the 1920’s, some of those barriers were just beginning to crumble. Women were given the right to vote and some people were able to become wealthy based on their skills and ideas and not solely on their background. Even though these obstacles were starting to fade, completely defeating social barriers was still a struggle. Jay Gatsby’s final dream, in The Great Gatsby, is to overcome the class barriers and marry Daisy Buchanan. He is able to gain wealth, but he does not gain entry into her social class. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the problematic nature of class structure in America during the 1920’s through Jay Gatsby’s struggle to ascend the social ladder.
In the 1920’s class structure was changing and people had to adopt to a new way of life. According to Cynthia Rose, editor of "A New Era … an Economic Revolution of the Profoundest Character.", it was an era of optimism for many people who were able to secure good paying jobs because of the booming economy (Rose). However, there was a divide in the upper class between the people with “old money” and those with “new money”. The people with “old money” had grown up with wealth. The newly rich had to adjust to the upper class. Actors, people involved in the media, and bootleggers are all examples of the types of people who belonged to this class. In the novel, the two social classes also have very different ways they spend their time. Many of the newly rich have large parties, while those with old money are more conserved, like the Buchanans (Fitzgerald 10).
New industries presented unprecedented opportunities for an emerging class. It was a new era for Americans. People were becoming rich overnig...

... middle of paper ...

...as set up to be.

Works Cited

“A New Era … an Economic Revolution of the Profoundest Character.” American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia Rose. Vol. 3: 1920-1929. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 126-131. U.S. History in Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
“Automobiles.” American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 2: 1910-1919. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History in Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
“Brokers and Suckers.” American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia Rose. Vol. 3: 1920-1929. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 131-135. U.S. History in Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York: Collier, 1992. Print.
Reilly, Hugh. “The Media in the 1920's.” Personal interview. 5 Mar. 2014.
“The Right to Vote.” Civil Rights in America: 1500 to the present. Ed. Jay A. Sigler. Detroit: Gale, 1998. U.S. History in Context. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Religion Versus Science in The Scopes Monkey Trial

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    In contrast to this small town were the advancing views of America.  The twenties continued to roar towards modernism.  “Breakthroughs in technology, the increase in material wealth, and the beginning of an empire seemingly heralded the upward march of civilization, with America on the forefront” (Dumenil 6).  In all directions, it was clear that America was moving forward.  Transportation was a prime example of this advancement.  Innovator Henry Ford introduced his “ Ford Miracle” to the public (Dumenil 6).  Economies and the social values also began to advance.  “Dubious get-rich-quick schemes and fads…contributed to a tone of feverish frivolity” (Dumenil 7).  People began to lead fast paced lives with the desire to become rich, quickly.

    Read More

  • Economy and Social Class in the Articles "Class Matters" and in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the novel, the Great Gatsby, during the 1920s. This decade was characterized by economic and cultural change. With the growth of a new class of new money, Americans began to grow tired of the different social standards of the each social rank and attempted to move into a higher class. Fitzgerald focused on this disparity between classes and several class issues, specifically class mobility. In the year 2005, several journalists wrote and published a group of essays known as Class Matters. These essays discuss modern social and economic class structure and associated class issues. An essential theme in each of these novels is class mobility. The Great Gatsby and Class Matters both explore the differences between classes and the lack of class mobility in order and bring attention to the class imbalance.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Class Structure in the 1920's

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    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 shown that the desire to further or maintain socio-economic status leads to immoral behaviour such as criminal activity, adultery, and murder.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Final Essay

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    As depicted by Scott F. Fitzgerald, the 1920s is an era of a great downfall both socially and morally. As the rich get richer, the poor remain to fend for themselves, with no help of any kind coming their way. Throughout Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the two “breeds” of wealthier folk consistently butt heads in an ongoing battle of varying lifestyles. The West Eggers, best represented by Jay Gatsby, are the newly rich, with little to no sense of class or taste. Their polar opposites, the East Eggers, are signified by Tom and Daisy Buchanan; these people have inherited their riches from the country’s wealthiest old families and treat their money with dignity and social grace. Money, a mere object in the hands of the newly wealthy, is unconscientiously squandered by Gatsby in an effort to bring his only source of happiness, Daisy, into his life once again. Over the course of his countless wild parties, he dissipates thousands upon thousands of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to attract Daisy’s attention. For Gatsby, the only way he could capture this happiness is to achieve his personal “American Dream” and end up with Daisy in his arms. Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy is somewhat detrimental to himself and the ones around him; his actions destroy relationships and ultimately get two people killed.

    Read More

  • Materialism in the Eggs in The Great Gatsby

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.

    Read More

  • The Similarities and Differences of the 1920’s and 1950’s

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    On the heels of war, new technology caused a decrease in prices of goods in the 1920’s and in the 1950’s the GI Bill increased income. The bureaucratization of business in the 1920’s meant that more people could be employed in higher paying white-collar jobs than before, including, for the first time, housewives. This new income combined with the reduced prices for goods that resulted from mechanized production, assembly lines and a general decrease of the cost of technology created a thriving consumerist middle class that went on to fuel the economy in all sectors, especially the upper classes. Likewise, during World War II Americans saved up around 150 billion dollars, and this sum combined with the income of the GI Bill allowed normal people to buy expensive things, from houses to cars to electronics to educations at a rapid rate, fueling the trademark prosperity of the 1950’s. The new automobile culture of the 50’s spawned new businesses that catered to mobile Americans, such as nicer and more standardized hotels like Holiday Inn, and drive-up restaurants like McDonalds. Just as the culture of the 1920’s was transfo...

    Read More

  • The Rich and The Poor in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the vast social difference between the old aristocrats, the new self-made rich and the poor. He vividly interprets the social stratification during the roaring twenties as each group has their own problems to deal with. Old Money, who have fortunes dating from the 19th century, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The New Money made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth. As usual, the No Money gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving them forgotten or ignored. Such is exemplified by Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson and Tom Buchanan. Their ambitions distinctly represent their class in which Fitzgerald implies strongly about.

    Read More

  • The Lucky One and The Great Gatsby: How Staying Determined will Lead to Accomplishments

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. "Chapter 7." The Great Gatsby. New York, NY:

    Read More

  • The Market Revolution

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the late 1700’s, the United States was no longer a possession of Britain, instead it was a market for industrial goods and the world’s major source for tobacco, cotton, and other agricultural products. A labor revolution started to occur in the United States throughout the early 1800’s. There was a shift from an agricultural economy to an industrial market system. After the War of 1812, the domestic marketplace changed due to the strong pressure of social and economic forces. Major innovations in transportation allowed the movement of information, people, and merchandise. Textile mills and factories became an important base for jobs, especially for women. There was also widespread economic growth during this time period (Roark, 260). The market revolution brought about economic growth through new modes of transportation, an abundance of natural resources, factory production, and banking and legal practices.

    Read More

  • Jay Gatsby's Dream

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925

    Read More

  • The Power of Money in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    1775 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bruccoli, Matthew J. Preface. The Great Gatsby. By F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. vii-xvi.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby and Today

    1573 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print. The.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby: American Dream or American Nightmare?

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print. The.

    Read More

More about Climbing the Social Ladder

Open Document