F. Scott Fitzgerald presents many themes in his novel, The Great Gatsby. One of the themes is that a person’s social status determines the power they have over others and is reflective of their moral character. This theme is developed throughout the book by the different types of parties and gatherings that each character expresses. Some examples of this motif throughout the novel are Gatsby’s weekend parties, Tom’s gathering at the apartment, and Daisy’s house party. Each one indicated the character’s social status, upbringing, and moral character.
The first instance of this motif is when Nick got invited to one of Gatsby’s parties ”A chauffeur in a uniform of robin’s-egg blue crossed my lawn early that Saturday …show more content…
Daisy’s character prefers very small house parties with few people, we see in chapter five that she is most at ease with a small group of friends. “Daisy took the brush with delight, and smoother her hair, whereupon Gatsby sat down and shaded his eyes and began to laugh”
(Fitzgerald 91). This serves contrast to chapter six, where Gatsby sees that Daisy felt uneasy attending one of his large parties, full of people that she hardly recognizes. “She didn’t like it, he insisted. “She didn’t have a good time.” (Fitzgerald 109) this is an indicator of the type of crowd that she prefers, it shows that she was most likely raised in a wealthy family and to have proper manners or ladylike behavior.
The types of parties that the characters go to and the gatherings that they attend are a clear indicator of their upbringings, moral behavior, and social status. Gatsby’s large and fantastic parties are an indicator that he is a self made man. Tom’s apartment gathering reflects his arrogant behavior, and Daisy’s small house parties reflect her ladylike and polite background and behavior. Fitzgerald uses the motif of parties as a way of revealing certain characters thoughts and motivations throughout the