About Social Classes

Abstract

This essay examines the theme of social classes explored throughout The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott. Fitzgerald. By analyzing the main conflicts in the story and delving into the characters’ course of action from start to finish and examining the obstacles they faced, we are able to create inferences about what the different social classes in the 1920s were like and how they decreased individuality in people as well as preventing them from achieving their goals. The characters and social classes in this book is als compared to those in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, in which again the main character is constricted by the rules of upper-class society. Both novels explore the gap both in manners and justice of the old money class and the new money class as well as the struggles for anybody not in the old money class to reach the top of the social ladders. This essay explores the social classes in The Great Gatsby with comparison through The Age of Innocence. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that explores America during the Roaring Twenties. Set in Long Island, New York, the story follows Nick Carraway as he moves to a neighborhood called West Egg hoping for a change from his life in the Midwest. Nick ends up neighbors with a man named Jay Gatsby whom he learns is a millionaire that continuously throws lavish parties night after night. As Nick and Gatsby’s relationship develops, Nick learns more about Gatsby’s past and the nature of Long Island and its neighborhoods. Among this, Nick discovers the truth about the social classes in West Egg and East Egg, how Gatsby is never able to attain his dream, and the true difference between old money, new money, and the plain old working class. This novel’s examination of social classes can also be compared to those in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Throughout the story, Fitzgerald manipulates the character’s personalities and actions to create a noticeable and firm divide between the different social classes and what they can amount to be.

A major drive for the main conflict in this book is the clash between old money and new money. Old money, which was represented by East Egg, consisted of Tom and Daisy Buchanan. They inherited their wealth from generations before, and are set up with many connections to other old money families as well as influential people. “"Old money" families have fortunes dating from the 19th century or before, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility.” (Litcharts). However, these families are often also careless and selfish, only acting for their own good and not caring about what may happen to others. This is demonstrated through the actions of Tom and Daisy. Tom, though he wrongly accused Gatsby of being Myrtle’s murderer, didn’t face any consequences. His elite status and earned reputation already established him as someone not likely to get caught. Both him and Daisy acted outright arrogantly towards others, but nobody gave it a second glance. The old money in The Great Gatsby can also be compared to those in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Old money families in that story like the Archers, Wellands, and Van der Luydens created intimate groups of elite families that greatly defined that social class. They were respected, but too exclusive for many members. The rules that the old money set created constant, suffocating pressure on those that wanted to be part of the upper classes. As seen through both the lens of The Great Gatsby and The Age of Innocence, the upper elite classes contained by luxuries such as connections, but could also be morally corrupt (in Tom and Daisy’s case) or constricting to personal freedom (in the case of The Age of Innocence).  

   Meanwhile, new money, represented by West Egg, mainly consisted of Jay Gatsby. This class was built on money the individual had gained themselves later on, and had very limited connections due to later development. Thus, the nouveau riche like Gatsby often threw lavish  and extravagant parties to show their money and hope to crawl up the rungs of the ladder to the old money class. “At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden.”(Fitzgerald, Chapter 3). Many times, Gatsby tried to conform himself to the old money, but their strict rules and long established traditions and manners made it impossible for Gatsby to ever be truly accepted. The way Gatsby acts in this book can also be compared to the actions of Julius Beaufort and the Beaufort family in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Julius Beaufort, a banker with suspicious financial contracts continuously throws exuberant parties and spends money carelessly. Though having enough money and valuable assets, both Jay and Julius lack the connections, subtlety and etiquette that the old money families possess through many generations of experience. Both of the men are barely tolerated by the old money; they are seen as flashy, dangerous, and shady in the way they accumulated their wealth. The new money, though less corrupt and portrayed with more romanticism in the stories, were largely overshadowed by their ambition.

The social classes that are depicted in these books also play a major role in the main conflict of the story. The social classes represent the constraints of society, the uniform rules that everyone must abide by to be accepted and welcomed. In both Fitzgerald and Wharton’s fictional world, being unique / different wasn’t an option, and it could mean exile from the individual’s current class, whether high or low. As seen in Edith Wharton’s book, Newland Archer comes from a respected family and longs to be with a girl also from an old money family, but just because she was different and chose to live independently, she was exiled. Archer, not wanting to face the same consequence, decided to continue on with his life without Ellen Olenska. “In this novel, New York high society is governed by a vast array of social rules that dictate almost every aspect of its members’ lives.” (Litcharts). Many people were willing to sacrifice what they loved, their passions, and their individuality just to fit the tight rules that their social class laid out for them. Gatsby, who wanted to be with Daisy, tried his best to impress her and win her over from Tom, but deep down, even Daisy knew that he could never compete with the status and reputation of Tom’s family and class. She is willing to give up the man she loved for a life in upper class society. Gatsby, disheartened by this verdict, falls into a state of despair himself as his entire life’s dreams were just crushed under his nose. In both The Age of Innocence and The Great Gatsby, both of the main characters work hard in their lives to pursue their dreams, only to have themselves be held back by the thick, invisible barriers set up between different social classes and the rules of society.

The conflicts and impact of social classes explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald really shows the true light of society and what its rules can do to people. Gatsby’s struggle to get Daisy to his favor and George and Myrtle Wilson’s constant quest for money all represent the walls that influential and powerful society has built up to keep themselves exclusive and “higher” than others. This theme is also portrayed in the timeless novel The Age of Innocence, where we can see that the main character struggles just the same as Gatsby does. Both novels clearly classified the difference between old money and new money as well as describing the intense difficulties of climbing up the social ladder while highlighting the ease to fall down. The ultimate state of despair and death in Gatsby’s case questions the ethics of overall society: one that claims to adore uniqueness and specialty all while enforcing conformity and sameness onto its people. The lesson on social classes in this story really questions the foundational “rights” that many societies claim to be built on. 

Reference:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Great Gatsby

Litcharts. The Rules of Society Theme in The Age of Innocence | LitCharts

Litcharts. Class (Old Money, New Money, No Money) Theme in The Great Gatsby | LitCharts