Social Classes In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Zhu
Carol Zhu
Ms. Vyse
English II
April, 15, 2016
The social classes of ?The Great Gatsby?
?The Great Gatsby?, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, tells a story about Gatsby, about American pursuing money and enjoyment in Jazz Age. Social class plays a big role in The Great Gatsby. There are three different social classes in this book, old money, new money and lower class. The main idea of the book is about American social life and conflict between different classes. Gatsby is new money. Daisy was fell in love with him, but she leaves him because Gatsby had no money. Daisy marries Tom because he is old money, and he is rich. The behaviors of people with old money are bad. Poor people are vulnerable to people with old money. The rivalry

between Tom and Gatsby is not one involving who can win Daisy?s heart, but instead is a conflict between old money and new money in which Gatsby is doomed to lose because of his once poor background.

The social structure of the 1920s as seen in ?The Great Gatsby? shows how being poor made people vulnerable to the upper class or people with money. According to Norton, ?During the 1920s, consumerism flourished. Although poverty beset small farmers, workers in declining industries, and non-whites, in inner cities, most other people enjoyed a high standard of living relative to previous generations.? (Norton, 666), we know most of the people are rich. Although most of the people are rich, their backgrounds are different. There are old money and new money in the social class. Tom, Daisy's husband, is old money. Gatsby is new money. Gatsby?s family doesn?t have much money, but Tom?s family?s fortunes were

made over a long period of time. Old money also has high social status. They have influence in society. However only a small amount of people are old money. Most people are new money and are in the lower class, such as Gatsby. At first Gatsby did not have any money, then he made a lot of money illegally. Daisy leaves Gatsby which makes him very sad. At the end of the story, Daisy and Tom put the responsibility of the car accident on Gatsby. That causes Gatsby loses his life, so Gatsby is very vulnerable to people with old money. The man Wilson is vulnerable too. He is from lower class. He is a very poor worker. Tom hurt Wilson by taking his wife. Wilson is helpless because he is poor, and he doesn?t have any social status. At the end of the story, Wilson kills Gatsby because Tom lies Gatsby drives the car and kills Wilson?s wife. Just because old money?s selfish behaviors, lead the tragedy of new money and poor people, so they are vulnerable.
Gatsby sees earning his own wealth, no matter its source, as the solution to winning back Daisy, which makes him become the tragedy of American society.

Daisy leaves Gatsby because he does not have money and social status. The first time Daisy leaves Gatsby because he does not have money. In order to get Daisy, Gatsby work hard to earn money. He pursues his new money via shady schemes, such as selling illegal alcohol. He doesn?t care where the money comes from just as long as he has enough money to impress Daisy. Gatsby holds parties everyday because he hopes Daisy can see his wealth. According to Thomas?Nick says ?Gatsby, who represented everything for which I had unaffected scorn.? Nick?s pedigree has taught him to disapprove of greed and obvious wealth and as we are to learn Gatsby makes an art of exactly this.?(Thomas, 1), we know Gatsby always shows off. He thinked If he gets money, he will win Daisy back. He wanted to show Daisy his wealthy. Nick does not like that, and he looks down on Gatsby. When Daisy meets Gatsby again, she comes back to Gatsby, but she only likes his money. Then Daisy leaves Gatsby again because he makes money illegally. In the end, Daisy drives Gatsby?s car and kills Wilson's wife, but Tom and Daisy tell Wilson that Gatsby kills his wife. Then Wilson kills Gatsby. Gatsby is the tragedy of American society. Gatsby believes in the American Dream. He thinks if a man works hard enough he can achieve whatever he wants. According to Slater

?Gatsby?s version can be aspired to by anyone with the requisite imaginative potency?(Slater 53-62). Daisy is like his American dream. He thinks Daisy is pure, and if he works hard he can get her. However, he doesn?t know the ?American dream? is not like what he imagines. Daisy is not pure, because she only likes the money. That means the only important thing of American dream has changed to money.
There are people with old money and people with new money in the society. There are many conflicts between them. During Gatsby?s time ?the chasm between old money and new money seemed unbridgeable, as wide as the Pacific Ocean?(Grote). That means the conflict between the two classes is very big, as wide as ocean. In many ways, old money is better than new money, according to Grote?. . . old money was viewed as being so much better than new money?(Grote). The old money have stronger background and higher social status than new money. New money are upper class, but most of new money are lower class. According to Grote ?In reality, however, old money in America wasn't very old. It was simply that the behavior of some individuals who acquired wealth very quickly offended others? (Grote). The behaviors of old money is bad. They are arrogant and look down on poor people and new money. For example, Tom put the responsibility of the car accident on Gatsby and takes away Wilson's wife, so his behaviors are bad. The conflicts between Gatsby and Tom just the conflicts between old money and new money.
The social status of old money is very high, but their behaviors are bad. Because of the social status of old money, Tom acts anyway he wants to and does whatever he likes to. Tom is very arrogant, according to Thomas ?An example of this is the upper class, Yale educated, Tom Buchanan who comes east from Chicago is ?Supercilious? and ?Arrogant.? His opinions of a need for racial purity are as repulsive as his flamboyant masquerading of his affair?(Thomas, 1). He looks down on other people. He hits people. He treats Daisy badly. He uses Wilson?s wife. He tells wilson that Gatsby killed his wife. He causes Gatsby?s death. He is corrupt because he does not do the right things.
The rivalry between Tom and Gatsby is not one involving who can win Daisy?s heart, but instead is a conflict between old money and new money in which Gatsby is doomed to lose because of his once poor background. Daisy only likes money represents American dream is dead. Tom acts however he wants because of his social class. Poor people are vulnerable. Finally, old money win, because of their money and social status, The Author want to criticize this materialistic society. He thinks people are rich in material but poor in spirit.

Work Cited
Slater, Peter Gregg. ?Ethnicity in the Great Gatsby?. Twentieth Century Literature 19.1 (1973):
53?62. Web?
Grote, Jim. 2003. ?Old Money Vs. New Money.? Financial Adviser. May. Web.
http://www.fa-mag.com/news/article-687.html
Norton, Mary Beth. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 2001. Print.
http://mcardleenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/gatsby-workbook- .pdf, Google Scholar.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Bantam, 1974. Print.