Social Classes In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Roaring Twenties was a time of great prosperity and a booming economy; this led to people following their American Dream. However, there was a drastic division in social class due to the new emerging money. Due to successful stock market speculation and an abundance of white collared jobs, men climbed the social ladder. Stock market speculation also led to bankruptcy, revealing more people shifting to the low class. In The Great Gatsby, the author writes about various characters in different social classes and how they act. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald exposes the gilded differences in the unique class structure of the 1920’s for the new money class, old money class, and the lower class.

The rise to wealth and the new way of living

by working is new wealth because of the opportunities in the 1920’s. The American Dream was the hope of working to reach the top. At this time, many people like Gatsby and Nick became prosperous by working and gaining lavish lifestyles.

This is supported by, “during this time, more white-collar jobs became available. Blue-collar jobs, like mining, farming and other forms of physical labor, were by no means rare in the 1920s, but they were increasingly being replaced by white-collar jobs in fields such as law enforcement, public service, private business and the like”(Sullivan). As a result, people received high salaries and worked to gain positions in the top. The emerging industries helped people do this. In addition, many started their own businesses, making them gain more money.Not only new jobs made people rich, but investing in the stock market did too. This is proven in, “the effect on the stock market was positive indeed, and numerous investors often made tremendous gains within few months.In contrast to the established upper class the new rich did not inherit their wealth but acquired it by themselves. This myth "from rags to riches" the "American Dream" was revived during this decade”(Noggle). Making money by investing in the stock market was not a permanent job, but it led to quick cash that many people needed for conspicuous consumerism. Therefore, the amount of stuff one had defined how wealthy they were. In

addition, cars did the same thing because they were a symbol of wealth for how many cars people had or what quality. The division of the high class became prominent when the rising money makers clashed with the aristocratic wealthy. Usually, this led to a division in parties, neighborhoods, or land. In The Great Gatsby, there is a division in where people lived according to their money. This is proven when Nick says, “I lived at West egg, the -well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them”(Fitzgerald 5). Nick described West Egg as the neighborhood for people with new money who are just becoming millionaires. The houses there were more lavish and modern; however, the old money class’s houses were old and colonial. In addition, the new money class tended to splurge their money more on materialistic things such as cars. However, this class was the one that was affected the most by the Great Depression because all their money was not protected.
Even though the new money class is known as wealthy, the old money class have always been wealthy. Many have inherited their wealth from generations of success. Because of inheritance, many people in this class don’t even have to work like the new money class. Also, they tend to spend their money differently. According to Diane Brown Wilson, “old money tends to be invested in grand, historically significant properties, antiques, art collections and classic cars, and couture. Often, those who have old money may be asset rich but cash poor, so they may buy few, if any, new possessions. Much of their available money may have to be spent on property maintenance and keeping up appearances”. Many people spend their money in a way in which many generations could use a property in their family's name or build up the appearance of their family. As a result of valuable investments, people had a safety net when the Great Depression took place because they did not have to rely entirely on banks. The old money class also , “personifies a code of behavior: that of an educated, articulate individual who places the interests of his or her community on par with their own personal interests. They prioritize quality of life over a standard of living, eschewing vulgar displays of wealth. They pass this philosophy on to their children, and their children to their children. They act as role models for New Money and the general public”(Tulley). Their behavior of balancing money for their children and future generations was a popular thing to do. The most significant role they played was acting like a role model or goal for other people in lower classes. They set the bar of how people with money are supposed to act, but that is changed in the 1920’s when others quickly rose to wealth. Just like Nick described his neighborhood, he also describes the old money neighborhood when he says, “I drove over to East Egg to see two old friends I scarcely knew at all. Their house was even more elaborate than I expected, a cheerful red-white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking the bay”(Fitzgerald 6). Many houses in this class tend to be more old looking because they have been present throughout many generations in families. They also tend to be more spread out from other houses because people invested in a vast amount of land too.This is very different from West Egg because Nick and Gatsby saw each other outside all the time as neighbors. As a result of being further apart from others, they were more reserved and did not usually attend many lavish parties like the ones Gatsby threw.
Even though the 1920’s was a time of prosperity, poverty still existed leading up to the Great Depression.

Today people assume the 1920’s was a time of elaborate parties, flappers, and luxury. However, eminent prosperity disguised the 1920’s from something that was ominous. The truth about the majority of the public during this time was that , “the 1920s was a decade of poverty. Generally, groups such as African-Americans, women and farmers did not enjoy the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties. More than 60 per cent of Americans lived just below the poverty line. Life was particularly hard for African-Americans in the Deep South states where the majority of black people endured a combination of poverty and racism. Although some women were able to enjoy more independence and wear the latest fashions, the reality was that most women were poorly paid and were employed in roles such as cleaners or waitresses”(www.bbc.co.uk.com). The bulk of America were African Americans and women who did not receive the same rights as white men; therefore, they suffered through poor jobs or no jobs because others did not want to hire them. In need for jobs, the low to lower middle class migrated to cities for more job opportunities. Nevertheless, city life was not accommodating the lives of the low class. In most cities, “the ability of local governments to extend clean water, garbage collection, and sewage systems into poorer areas, so conditions in cities deteriorated. Cities in the late 19th

century were large, crowded, and impersonal places devoted to making money. Not surprisingly, corruption was rampant in city government and city services, in the construction industry, and among landlords and employers. High rents, low wages, and poor services produced misery in the midst of unprecedented economic growth”(www.theusaonline.com). Because of a mass migration to the cities, the city government could not keep up with outpaced city life. In addition, landlords, knowing many people did not have any other option for living, increased prices. This led to people losing more money in rent for a small space. The city may be known as a symbol of opportunity, but in reality, it is corruption because of crime, high prices, poor services. The social decay for wealth was symbolized by the Valley of Ashes in for Myrtle and George Wilson. This is proven when Nick describes the Valley of ashes as, “ a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”(Fitzgerald 26). This vivid description related to how the lower class tried to follow the American Dream of rising to success, but the cannot because of limitations. They felt as though it was impossible to escape from the valley of ashes because their dreams would be burned into ashes, dead and hopeless. Also, the Valley of Ashes is in between West Egg and Manhattan to symbolize how close some people are to living like the rising class, but they are not close enough.
The 1920’s was a time of profitability, luxury, and a sense of freedom. Nonetheless, it was also a time of poverty that became masked. The Great Gatsby conveyed how life in the 1920’s truly was regarding all classes: some achieved their American Dream and most didn’t. This momentous decade became a turning point in American history from a booming economy to a stagnating economy, but these three classes affected and shaped the possibility of the American Dream. Some are born with it, others get lucky, and those who keep trying still don’t achieve what they deserve. This was the illusion of the American Dream everyone strove for. In reality, it is corrupt because “all the people in the world haven’t had the same advantages that you’ve had”(Fitzgerald 22).