Social Stratification In The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is the illustration of the contemporary American society of the Jazz Age. It is noted in the text that social status and class prevail there and play very significant roles concerning various issues in the light of American Dream. This classification is mainly an aftermath of World War One because of disillusionment and pursuit of wealth. Three types of social class people, upper class, middle class, and lower class, are nicely presented by Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby. The dominance of the rich over the poor is a noted effect of this social stratification in this novel. People try to change their existed social class and upgrade reputation by any means. As a result, the characters of the novel become
ambitious, corrupted, deceitful, and adulterous. Arranging lavish parties, leading luxurious life style furnished with gaudy mansion, branded car of the new money high class are the evidence and showy attitude to upgrade their social class into an aristocratic one. The upper class old money people describe their hereditary wealth, connection with the aristocrats, residence, achievements just to provide the valid points favoring their permanent upper class state by themselves or through the narrator, Nick. Some characters become racist just to ensure their social stand as the supreme one. Scientific racism and color identity amid the tone of mix-culture is also an aspect clearly found. Racism in behaviorism and manner of the existed classes are found in their rejection of the rest social status, skeptic trend on anyone’s present and past, criticizing the others’ race, desperation to make their race superior, demonstration of hatred towards the poor class and so on.