Thesis Statement: In “The Great Gatsby”, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, explores how the social classes of the twenties affected society negatively as a whole, creating a corrupt thought of what the “American dream” truly is.…
The mystery behind Jay Gatsby allows for him to become one of the most intriguing members of the upper class. As Gatsby’s background unravels, it becomes clear that Fitzgerald chose Jay Gatsby as the main character because he defies every social normality in the 1920’s. By Fitzgerald’s writing, the reader realizes that Gatsby’s mindset separates him from others. Everything Gatsby has accomplished in the past five years is because of his dedication, ambition, and integrity in following in his dreams which Fitzgerald greatly admires. The social class one is born into is the one they belong to their entire life, unless you are Jay Gatsby. Although Gatsby attempts to convince people that his entire life has consisted of lavish and wealthy things,…
The three texts present a similar point that the true appearance of the upper class is only revealed through a character’s words and actions with their appearance deceiving society from recognising their true identity and as a result “worshippers of wealth, status and beauty have collected around false idols” . In “The Great Gatsby”, “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “The rape of lock” the upper classes are often portrayed positively on the surface and it is only when you look past this that the shallowness, superficiality and arrogance become apparent. The three authors all realise the power of aesthetics across all three of their eras with a sense that the authors, like Nick Carraway, themselves are “both enchanted and repelled” by the…
On the surface, The Great Gatsby reads as a story of thwarted love between a man and a woman. The real theme of the novel, however, encompasses a highly symbolic meditation on 1920’s America as a whole, and, in particular, the disintegration of the American dream in an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920’s as an era of decaying social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. The reckless jubilance that led to decadent parties and wild jazz music—epitomized in The Great Gatsby by the opulent parties that Gatsby himself hosts every Saturday night—resulted ultimately in the corruption of the…
Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a representation of American society of Roaring Twenties having three social class divisions amid the pursuit of American Dream and presenting the changing trend of social, economic and relationship freedom of females relating to gender, race, ethnicity, sex and sexuality within the class framework found in the portrayal of the characters. Divided people into the old money upper-class, the Buchanans and Jordan Baker; the new money upper-class, Gatsby; the middle class, Nick; and the working class, the Wilsons and minor ones based on wealth and family background are prevailed in the ways of their differences regarding education, residence, earning source, life style, reputation and attitudes.…
The Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” is a chronicle of its times. Times of prohibition, bootleggers and economical prosperity, but also the times of people still recalling the World War I, those who try to forget its horror and compensate all the harms suffered, with the life full of luxury. The period of 1920s, so called Roaring Twenties, is the time when the United States experienced cultural revolution. The lifestyle changed and the old values, such as morality disappeared, replaced by money and corruption. As the one who lived in that era, F. S. Fitzgerald became a strong critic of his contemporary’s lifestyles. One of the major themes of the novel is the criticism of the society for its trend to waste everything.…
The book, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, has some wonderful and extravagant lifestyles portrayed between the pages. The are examples of the many forms of life; the rich, high class: Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Gatsby; The middle class: Nick; and the Lower, blue collar, working class: George, and Myrtle. They all have their stories of what they came from and what they have become. Some have moved down; others have moved up. This movement may be large, it may be petite, but in either way they have accomplished something for themselves.…
Having lived a lower middle-class life, I found that the materialism and superciliousness of the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby quite shocking. I have never had the opportunity to throw money around and to see these people act so callously was very unnerving. Although I do not agree completely with Fitzgerald’s broad outlook on the upper class I can certainly understand the reasoning behind it. Tom and Daisy Buchannan’s pomposity is something quite unlike anything I have ever seen in another human and the pettiness of their problems often times came off as humorous because of how absurd it was. The representation of middle-class people was very inadequate; William Wilson, for example, was described by Tom as being “..so…
The 1920s were known to many as a period of change and rebirth. It was a period of history known for lavish parties and extravagant lifestyles. When F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby, he created an illusion for readers to decipher and interpret on their own. This allusion contributes to the varied ideas and opinions of the novel. Despite the fact that a majority of the novel can be interpreted so differently, there is one central theme that is portrayed endlessly throughout the novel: wealth. Wealth was looked upon as a deciphering factor between social classes which ultimately led to a distinct gap in the social classes of society. Many thought that money led to an invitation into society dominated with wealth and fame; however, as readers see throughout the novel, wealth actually creates a world filled with envy, greed, and deception.…
As a mysterious novel based on the Roaring Twenties, The Great Gatsby’s intriguing view on society helps people come to terms over how society has or has not changed throughout the decades. During this era, people in the upper class were split into “old money”, people who were part of a rich family, and “new money”, people who have self-made riches. In the novel, Jay Gatsby symbolized “new money” while Tom and Daisy Buchanan symbolized “old money”. This would be a crucial factor in the outcome of the book. Believing that their “old money” will save them from their repetitive mistakes and infidelities, Daisy and Tom Buchanan’s constant carelessness may lead to people despising them symbolizing how society in the 1920s was not as glamorous as…
During the time period of the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald the U.S was in the midst of the famous Jazz Age in which the economy was expanding vastly, but also, shifting social attitudes. The lower class dreamed of living the American Dream that their eyes could see, but were oblivious to the true lives behind the elegant parties, and opulent components that made up the upper class. The rich were covered by a vast blanket of illusion that the poor desperately wanted to be warmed with. Class in The Great Gatsby is a double edged sword. On one side are hard working people trying to inch closer to the American Dream, but on the other side, wealthy men and women who believe they are living…
The 1920s was an age where there was a major change in the culture where America had a mass social and political shift. New cultures were forming and America was becoming lively again. People were becoming free-spirited and society’s image changed for the good. Men and women started to change and many would emphasize the importance of image and how others viewed them. Most importantly, the nation’s wealth started to increase immensely and being wealthy became very important to society as well. Fitzgerald writes his novel during this time period and it focuses a lot on the different types of wealth in society. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the author contrasts old and new money’s social statuses, conveys how materialistic ideas cannot result…
The novel 《The Great Gatsby》written by Scott Fitzgerald is often classified as a masterpiece about American dream,and it is believed to be written in 1925. It is a time that the entire America was under the strong influence of the Roaring twenties,and as we know, Scott Fitzgerald is a distinguished representative of the Lost generation in America. As a result, this novel is influenced by the thoughts of the lost generation.The essential thought of the lost generation is loneliness and disillusion in spirt, is to emphasize its own set of values rather than their elders. It strongly stresses the importance of personal characteristic and freedom or personal liberation, or in other words, hedonism and self-indulgent spree. In the novel,Scott Fitzgerald…
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel is set in the roaring twenties, on an island which is divided into two sections, West Egg and East Egg, near Long Island, New York. Nick, the main character and also the narrator of the book, lives in West Egg, “the less fashionable of the two” he says. Nick lives right next door to one of the most mysterious men on the island, Jay Gatsby. Nobody on the island knows anything about him, all they know is the rumors people have made about him. All through the summer Gatsby throws these extravagant parties that only a few get invited to, but everyone that's a “somebody” comes. Further along in the story Daisy and her husband, Tom buchanan are introduced. Tom is secretly having an affair on daisy. Gatsby is in love with with Daisy, but she refuses to leave her husband. As the story goes on Fitzgerald reveals that Gatsby has been living a lie, Gatsby has lied to…
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, there are many conflicts between the upper class, middle class and lower class. Throughout the book there are countless interactions between the different social class levels. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays each class as having a different attitude and personalities: the upper class as snobby and cheaters, and lower class as desperate, the newly upper class as dreamers and believers, and the middle class as average people.…