Class System In The Great Gatsby

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The difference in class in The Great Gatsby caused major problems. F. Scott Fitzgerald made it clear that during the time he wrote the book, a class system was present and it separates characters based upon their financial standings. He showed how each class was treated based on how much money they had. From high class to low class The Great Gatsby displays all ranges that come with the class system. The biggest divided that made a character pure of class or impure was whether or not they were “Old Money” or “New Money”.. The difference between the two classes based off whether or not you inherited your money, or worked to gain it. In East Egg lived the “Old Money”, characters who received their money from inheritance and believed that since …show more content…
Tom who belongs to the most elitist group, which he makes sure not to treat Gatsby or any of Gatsby’s friends with the respect that someone with “old money” would be treated. When Gatsby and Tom meet for the first time he automatically does not like Gatsby because of his ways. He begins to become very suspicious of Gatsby and his ways of making money. Tom begins to think that Gatsby cannot be telling the truth with the way he receives his money. This goes to show that Tom believes that he belongs to a better and higher class than Gatsby because he doesn’t know how Gatsby makes his money so he automatically thinks that he gets involved with the wrong people. Tom thinks since Gatsby didn’t inherit his wealth that he shouldn’t be able to be a part of the “old money” society. Gatsby believes that he should be able to be a part of the “old money” society because he has just as much wealth as Tom. But what Gatsby doesn’t realize, Tom inherited his money unlike Gatsby. Gatsby worked for his money, which in society’s eyes makes him of a lower class than Tom. “Fitzgerald clearly intends for Gatsby’s Dream to be symbolic of the American Dream for wealth and youth. Gatsby genuinely believes that if a person makes enough money and amasses a great enough fortune, he can buy anything”. (Best Notes) This quote explains that Gatsby believes with all of his money that he has …show more content…
Old money who are pure of wealth and the not so wealthy which come from the valley of the ashes. Daisy inherits her money from a rich Midwestern family. Throughout the novel Daisy appears in multiple shades of white to represent her purity of class. Myrtle plays her polar opposite. Mrs. Wilson come from the valley of ashes, a place that got the name because of the gray that represents nothing but the hard working lower class. She married George Wilson thinking that he had more money than he actually did. Once she realizes that she will never have the money and lavish life she dreamed of, she turns to different measures to try to reach her dream. Myrtle begins having an affair on her husband with Daisy’s husband, Tom Buchanan. Throughout the book, Myrtle wears shades of red and purple to symbolize her efforts at being “royalty like”. Later on in the book the two women do share a common interest, they both have affair on their husbands for someone they see as being wealthy and more better off than their current husband's. Their greed for money gets Myrtle killed and makes Daisy a murderer. Daisy can be seen as the better woman, but the only reason why could be because she was blessed to be born into a rich family and marry someone within the same class as
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