The Upper Class In The Great Gatsby

Words: 524

Pages: 3

Open Document

The upper class, more specifically Old Money, do not have to earn their money instead they inherit it. As a result, the upper class lives the ideal life. For example, Tom Buchanan owns a magnificent house, an elegant car, and a healthy family. Yet Tom is the most narcissistic and self-centered character in the book. Therefore, the hollowness of the upper class is immune to the laws of the American Dream. For instance, when Tom is denying Daisy’s love for Gatsby, he claims “Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, But I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (Fitzgerald 125). Tom describes his adulterous affairs as a “spree”, which proves his arrogant mindset because Tom underestimates the value of his crimes. …show more content…
Tom and Daisy wreck people’s lives and escape without any consequences leaving the unfortunate to suffer. Although narcissistic character like Tom and Daisy are unaffected by the chaos, it is the less fortunate characters such as Wilson and Gatsby who are less to endure. This contradicts the promises of the American Dream. If the American Dream promises a prosperous life for those who work hard enough, then why does a character like Wilson, who is the most hardworking character in the novel, die a somber death, meanwhile a character like Tom, who is the most arrogant and presumptuous character, ends up living a wealthy life with his family. Therefore, the hollowness of the upper class and their immunity to the laws of the American Dream proves that the American Dream is an illusion or a deception. The fact that humble characters die a miserable death, while self-obsessed characters continue to live in their vast wealth, proves that the American Dream in

The Great Gatsby Upper Class Analysis

The Great Gatsby and the Vices of the Upper Class At its base level, The Great Gatsby is a novel that highlights the disillusioned love between a rich woman, and a man willing to do anything to appear rich. The main characters, however, lack that idealistic romance and are significantly flawed. Fitzgerald sheds a light on the sociology of the upper class- the underbelly of the relationships between America’s most distinguished citizens. Whether it is materialism, selfishness, ignorance, or a mix…

Words 2067 - Pages 9

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

Mobility In The Great Gatsby

piece The Great Gatsby: Driving to Destruction with the Rich and Careless at the Wheel, Jacqueline Lance equates the personalities and characteristics of the characters in The Great Gatsby to the characteristics of their respective automobiles, suggesting stationary character personas. Just as Lance suggests a lack of mobility in character personalities through her analysis of The Great Gatsby and the prevalence of automobiles, F. Scott Fitzgerald proposes a lack of mobility within the class system…

Words 990 - Pages 4

Great Gatsby Essay

the 1920’s ‘easy money’ era because of the great economic boom. During this era, people earned their money by corruption with smuggling alcohol during prohibition. In addition, people earned their money by people unknowingly investing in major stocks. A few people earned their money with hard work; it was mostly made easily for them. Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the shallowness and hollowness of the upper class is persistently shown. Hollowness and…

Words 989 - Pages 4

Significance Of Social Class In The Great Gatsby

Imagine a person in the lower class trying to become in higher class. This person throwing luxuries party, doing illegal business to achieve this. This is Gatsby. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, each character represents a social class. Gatsby trying to become upper class from lower class. Tom and Daisy represents upper class and Nick presents middle class. This novel mainly focus of American Dream. American Dream is the ideal of equal opportunity to achieve in the highest…

Words 805 - Pages 4

Trapped in the minds Essay

novels The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Jay Gatsby and Tally Youngblood are desperate to be part of the upper class. The societies in the two novels have similar settings and expectations. In those novels, the Buchanan’s and the Pretties present the theme appearance vs. reality. The Great Gatsby and The Uglies are both stories that show how society’s standards and expectations affect characters’ mentalities with consequences for humanity. Jay Gatsby and Tally…

Words 1495 - Pages 6

The Great Gatsby Theme

The Great Gatsby Theme Essay The lesson that the audience have learned regarding Gatsby and his infatuations with the green light was that is was a symbol. A symbol of his feelings and his goal that one day he dreams to accomplish. This symbol relates to the American Dream because there are most people that immigrates to America to accomplish a goal, that is to succeed in life by making a fortune and becoming wealthy. In Gatsby’s perspective his goal was to have Daisy, but with all that focus on…

Words 748 - Pages 3

Role Of Social Class In The Great Gatsby

In the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes the association of the society made between cars and the social class to help establish or connect the class and the traits of his characteristics he uses of characters. By starting off, social class means a division of a society based on social and economic status. Their was different social classes such as upper class, middle class, and lower class. Upper class people are the richest of the rich, than middle class is where most of the population…

Words 1601 - Pages 7

Social Classes In The Great Gatsby

but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, is perceived as a masterpiece of its time regarding the day to day life of American citizens and the issues surrounding the social classes in the United States. The role and the significance each class plays in the novel creates the commonly seen aspects of the Roaring Twenties. The Great Gatsby demonstrates the brutality and inequity social classes posed on the normalities of…

Words 923 - Pages 4

Disillusionment in The Great Gatsby Paper

The Great Gatsby prominently covers the theme of disillusionment throughout the novel in various ways. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald highlights the theme of disillusionment through the misconceptions of the upper class and the failure of the American dream. Many of the ideas and perceptions of the upper class are completely misconstrued. The idea of truthfulness between characters is disregarded and irrelevant for them. In the beginning of the novel, Gatsby shares…

Words 1295 - Pages 6