Lack Of Social Mobility In The Great Gatsby

The rigid social class structure and lack of social mobility in the 1920’s created a situation in where the great American Dream is ultimately unreachable. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is largely regarded as a love story, but can also be seen as a pessimistic view on the American Dream and its unattainability. Fitzgerald uses a range of techniques covering characters, characterisation and extensive symbolism to represent this idea. He majorly uses the characters of Gatsby, Myrtle and George B. Wilson to portray this cynical view of the American dream. Fitzgerald depicts a sceptical view of the American Dream and through his characterization suggests that hard work leading ultimately to social status is frozen by social immobility.

Within the novel, Jay Gatsby is one of the main characters that epitomizes the idea of the disillusioned American dream. The text revolves around Gatsby and the desire and subsequent chase of Daisy, who symbolises the American Dream. When Gatsby finally has a grasp on daisy “[Gatsby’s] count of enchanted objects [has] diminished by one” (pg 122.), and the dream vanishes. This hints at the idea that the American Dream loses its meaning once it is achieved and is thoroughly unattainable as the thrill is in the chase. This also represents how the upper class, American aristocracy have been and remain the only group to truly uphold the idea of the American Dream. Tom and Daisy display the core aspects of wealth, family and relative happiness but only achieve this through their previous money. Gatsby was seemingly enjoying the American Dream, and had climbed the social ladder by means of money, although he can be “[picked] for a bootlegger” (p.284). This works against the American Dream ideology of earning money through hard work and being able to break out of social stratification by means of making an honest living. Gatsby is a staple example of the fact that despite having money and creating a “factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville” that replicates the style of the old money Americans will still not grant social mobility. (p.11) Despite his belongings, extravagant parties and other displays of wealth, Gatsby remained unable to achieve his goal of Daisy as a family and the accompanying happiness.
Myrtle Wilsons character arc of life and death also represents the social immobility of the 1920’s.

Her desire to move into the lives of the upper class influences her adultery with Tom and is also the factor which ultimately causes her demise. Myrtles desire to be rich and famous is catalogued by the “several old copies of Town tattle” (p.31) in her apartment, showing that her wish to be old money is toeing on obsession. To Myrtle, Tom symbolises the life that she wants for and uses him to inch her way into the highest class hierarchy and somewhat succeeds. Myrtle achieved a sense of luxury and happiness through Tom that allows a taste of the American Dream. However, Myrtle is fundamentally denied this as her death serves to symbolise the death of the American Dream. Myrtle’s death is caused by the reckless driving of Daisy, a rich woman in a rich car. This symbolises that despite myrtles struggle and taste of success in achieving the American dream, the upper class remains in control and prevents anyone below them from climbing to their level. It also symbolises the social security of the upper class, as Daisy is relatively unaffected by the manslaughter and instead the carnage falls onto those of the class below her – Gatsby, who was blamed for it, Myrtle who is killed and George who is forced to deal with his wife’s

death.
George B.

Wilson’s character development shows the detrimental effects of the class structure and how the hope for the American Dream failed him. George Wilson is shown to be the hardest working character in the novel, yet instead he loses the most. Tom uses the threat of “selling [the car] somewhere else” (p.29) to enforce the notion that George is at the bottom of the social hierarchy. The car symbolises the hope of the American Dream and the supposed attainability of it, and is what George is seen working towards the entire text and to the audience, his entire life. The car supports Fitzgerald’s pessimistic view by showing the almost pathetic hope of the lower class, but the audience realises that social mobility will not occur. The fact that Tom is the one in control of whether or not he sells the car indicates that the established class holds the monopoly over social class and chooses to create the immobility. The three deaths in The Great Gatsby – Gatsby, Myrtle and George represent how the lower social classes will forever be unable to move up even until death, and the upper class will remain above it all. Tom plants the seed that Gatsby had an affair with and murdered Myrtle in George’s brain, and this in due course causes both of their deaths. Tom’s carelessness with his affair also brought about the death of Myrtle. The lower social class’s deaths are all caused by tom, who signifies the upper class and in turn the events exemplified the ruined idea of the

American Dream and its sheer impossibility.
In conclusion, F. Scott Fitzgerald clearly and definitively displays his cynical opinion of the American Dream. Through the exploration of characters, it is shown that he believes the American Dream to be an unattainable lie of the 1920’s. Gatsby, Myrtle and George Wilson’s character arcs and character development assist in revealing the futility of chasing the American Dream to the audience. Along with characters, Fitzgerald employs the literary technique of symbolism within the text in a number of ways, both in objects and in characters to further appoint his idea of the American Dream being failed by social mobility and the control of the upper class as truth.