Examples Of Power Struggles In The Great Gatsby

In literature, power struggles are an effective way to illustrate themes. In engaging in a power struggle with Tom and the society of old money, Jay Gatsby illustrates The Great Gatsby’s theme of the hollowness of the upper class, or in this case old money.
Jay Gatsby is a man who literally started from nothing and made his way to the top. When Gatsby was younger he felt as if he was a child from god, not his actual parents, and that he was born to be at the top of society. After Gatsby meets Daisy and falls in love with her he does everything for her. Every decision Gatsby makes is done in hopes of bringing Daisy back into his life for good. Gatsby knows that Daisy feels money brings happiness, so he does all he can to flaunt his money to her in hopes that she will want him. Gatsby is a good man and he knows this. Gatsby feels that the one thing standing in his way of Daisy is an immoral scumbag, Tom.

The power struggle that Gatsby has throughout the novel directly reflects the theme of the hollowness of the upper class or the old money.

The old money are found to be significantly different than the respected, moral class they are said to be. The upper class turns out to be a group of snobby and immoral people who are careless to everything and anything but themselves. Tom and Daisy are the perfect example of this careless upper class because of the way they move around from place to place whenever something goes wrong. Regardless to how it affects others, Tom and Daisy just pack up and leave at the sight of

trouble.
The power that Gatsby is fighting for is the power of respect. Gatsby does not get this respect because he is new money, and because he was involved in illegal activities such as gambling to get his money. Little does Gatsby realize that the old money is not at all worthy of his envy. Gatsby is genuinely a great and caring man who wants the best for everyone and is willing to work hard to get where and what he wants. On the other hand, the upper class, such as Daisy and Tom, are horribly immoral but still respected because of the fact that they are old money. Even the narrator of the story, Nick, starts to realize how Gatsby is the one who deserves respect when he tells Gatsby that he is “better than the whole damn bunch”. Nick is referring to their upper class friends Daisy and Tom. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby himself resembles the want and struggle of power through the novel’s theme of the hollowness of the upper class.