Social Status In The Great Gatsby

Words: 597
Pages: 3
Open Document
In New York in the 1920s social status determined important aspects of people's lives. For example, how much money a person had controlled whom they were associated with and how they portrayed themselves to others. F.Scott Fitzgerald lived much like the characters he created in the novel The Great Gatsby. The author depicts the importance of social status and money through the characters lavish lifestyles that was so vital to the people during the 1920s. Social status plays a significant role in the characters’ lives and in what happens to them and how they are seen by others. Jay Gatsby, dreams of success because he believes it will win him Daisy, the love of his love. Social status was extremely important in the lives of the characters Tom …show more content…
In the 1920s, materialistic objects mattered more than love and personal connection. Because the things around them were changing in the 1920s, they decided to change as well. At the time the people thought that possessions mattered more than the genuity of relationships. Daisy married Tom, “with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before. He came down with a hundred people in four private cars, and hired a whole floor of the Seelbach Hotel, and the day before the wedding he gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” (4.135) Daisy did not care if she loved Tom or not, she cared about how others would think of her if she married Tom. She cared about the compliments she would receive for her beautiful string of pearls and beautiful house. Daisy only married Tom so that her image would be better, not so she could be happier. This relates to people in the 1920s because Zelda only married Fitzgerald for image as well. Zelda did not marry Fitzgerald because she was afraid of her status being ruined by him not being wealthy. Worst of all, she tried to marry him after he became rich and he fell for it. The lack of love was only a symptom of the fragile and fake
Show More

Related Documents: Social Status In The Great Gatsby

How Is Tom Buchanan And Jay Gatsby Alike

Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan Literary Analysis Essay. Liam Hickernell In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, “The Great Gatsby,” Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan share both similarities and differences, each representing their views on the American Dream. Although Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan share similarities, such as their living conditions and social status, their dreams and aspirations differ. Gatsby, with his mysterious past and drive to make money, shows one side of the American Dream, where anyone can make…

Words 963 - Pages 4

essay of gatsby

From reading Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, it’s been made clear to me that the most crucial symbol throughout the whole novel is the green light. The green light wasn’t just some light to help boats find the dock. To Gatsby, it was his dreams. His desire. Gatsby’s passion and everything he ever wanted embodied itself in that light. Whether it was his need for acceptance, Daisy, money, or social status, the green light was the driving force that led Gatsby to live in the world he created, even if…

Words 411 - Pages 2

The Theme Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

version of success. Throughout The Great Gatsby, the American Dream relates to hopes and dreams, America’s obsession with wealth, etc. Fitzgerald uses several forms of literary devices to convey this message to the audience, some of which include metaphors, allusion, paradoxes, etc. On the surface, this is a story about thwarted love between a man and a woman. However, the theme of the American Dream encompasses a much larger idea aside from romance. Jay Gatsby, a young newly, wealthy man, returns…

Words 537 - Pages 3

Examples Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

their race, gender, or social status, can achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination. Many people would describe their American Dream by wanting to own a nice car, a big house, nice clothes, and a happy family. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald specifically touches upon the underlying theme of disillusionment in the American Dream. The novel conveys the corruption of the American Dream through the depiction of wealth, social status, and power during the Roaring…

Words 698 - Pages 3

Social Class In The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby and A Diamond as Big as the Ritz, the themes of both texts can be compared in relation to the presentation of social class. In The Great Gatsby social status is a substantial feature central to the text as it distinguishes the different geographical locations in the novel but more crucially, depicts the mentalities of members of the different social class’ which affects the events that occur and perceptions of many of the characters. The themes of wealth, American capitalism…

Words 946 - Pages 4

Examples Of Deception In The Great Gatsby

deception in great detail through books and plays. In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby deceives those around him in order to build his social status and achieve his ultimate goal: Daisy. This failed deception points to the main ideas in the novel. Gatsby is shrouded in mystery through the extent of the novel. The narrator, Nick, questions notes how no one at his parties seems to know him and reflects on the rumors such as "I heard he killed a man." Unlike many in this upper class society, Gatsby appeared out…

Words 490 - Pages 2

What Is Myrtle's View Of The Upper Class In The Great Gatsby

Gatsby Final Essay Sometimes, authors translate their own personal opinions and life experiences into their writing. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the characters of Myrtle, Tom, and Gatsby and the settings of East and West Egg to show the discrepancies between social classes he himself saw present in the 1920s. The history of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his family greatly impact the view in which he has in his novel about the upper class. "...The author and his wife…

Words 925 - Pages 4

Why Is Happiness Important In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby Money can buy big houses and fancy cars, but it can’t buy happiness to a relationship. The majority of characters in the book live a pretty wealthy life with plenty of material possessions they need but still aren’t happy people. In The Great Gatsby one theme that plays a major role throughout the book would be the social classes and where their characters stand within the social ladders. Happiness is the goal that can never be achieved because the encounter with wealth and social…

Words 1650 - Pages 7

Love In The Great Gatsby

topic of many novels, movies, and songs. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, people see many different themes but the one that stands out to me most is the theme of love. The relationships in The Great Gatsby are not always centered around love, instead some are centered around status or wealth. Also, we see in the book how far some people are willing to go in hopes to acquire the one they love. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses the characters to…

Words 497 - Pages 2

Automoblie Gatsby Essay

Automobile as a motif in Great Gatsby ● (noun) a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work. ● recent invention of automobile ● most used formed of transport ● Cars in The Great Gatsby are status symbols for various characters, but also function as symbols of American society in general, so that car crashes are ominous signs of socio­economic and moral collapse. ● can represent more than simply transportation i.e. social status, character ● Th…

Words 848 - Pages 4