The Great Gatsby Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Erik Rhodes
Mr. Clyne
Period 2
3/20/13
Great Gatsby Rhetorical Analysis:
Social Classes of the 1920s The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of a Golden Age book. Even though it was not written in what one considered the Golden Age, it is a book that represents the extravagance in life. The Great Gatsby is full of symbolism that represents what some might refer to as the cast system (a.k.a. – social structure). F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby to highlight the wide abyss between the wealthy, middle, and poor classes of citizens in America during the 1920s.
In The Great Gatsby there is a wide range of social and economic classes ranging from wealthy to poor and everything in between. Examples of wealth include Gatsby himself,
Tom and Daisy, and the lifestyle that they all live. Their lifestyle includes having wild parties every weekend and not worrying about a plethora of things that they should be worrying about. “I’ve been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library.” (Fitzgerald 51). This quote represents the carelessness of Gatsby’s state of mind. He has been drunk for a week and he really does not even care. In the 1920s, most wealthy people had little to worry about. The economy was on the rise and there did not seem to be much to fret about. This time period, called the Roaring Twenties, which was marked by a feeling of jauntiness. Much like the book, people would make rash decisions thoughtlessly. Whether it was buying a brand new car, or spending the entire night going to parties and having a grand ole’ time on the streets of a big city. I believe that F. Scott Fitzgerald was trying to highlight how much the wealthy was ahead of the middle and poor classes in society in the 1920s.
Nick Caraway is a little less vivacious than the other three, but he is still wealthy. I believe that Nick is a representation of the middle class in Fitzgerald’s mind. But in my mind, he represents the middle to upper class. He tries to less of a frivolous life style and does not flaunt his money around like Gatsby and the Buchanan’s do. Nick is a Midwestern businessman that has gone to New York in order to learn the bond business. He is trying to make his own wealth in a fair and well-mannered way. He does not go around spending money like crazy much like Gatsby. I believe that this is also why Fitzgerald chose him to be the narrator of the book. He is related either physically or emotionally to almost every character in the book and he kind of acts as a middle man throughout the story. He is in the middle class therefore he poses as the middle man.
The lower or poor class is represented by Myrtle and George Wilson.
They own a small gas station and general store in the middle of the Valley of Ashes. They represent a lower status of citizens but do not quite live an unprosperous life. They have relations with upper class citizens but are not directly part of them. Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson which is an example of a relation between the wealthy and lower class. Myrtle, being a representation of the lower class, seems to be gullible and more vulnerable to Tom’s tricks, and Tom carelessly takes advantage of her vulnerability in my opinion. The lower class is more cut off from the other two therefore they are more gullible. Perhaps their naiveness and gullibility is also related to the lack of education compared to the privilege of the middle and wealthy classes attending colleges like Oxford during this time. They seem to be stuck in somewhat of a valley of
hopelessness.
Speaking of valleys, the in between is represented by the Valley of Ashes.
The Valley of Ashes, in my view, is the screen that separates East Egg and West Egg of the city. In other words, it is the filter that is in between the wealthy and the poor classes of society. I think Fitzgerald uses the name “The Valley of Ashes” to make it sound like a dark, dreary, and boring place that is hard to be in. It is the area one must go through to get from East Egg to West Egg. Having the Wilson’s live in this area could also represent their relationship with the wealthy even though they are not wealthy themselves. This relationship shows the reader that George and Myrtle Wilson are kind of stuck in the filter. If they go more towards the wealthy side, Myrtle risks being too close to Tom, and if they go more towards the poor side, Myrtle would be too far away from Tom. They are at a perfect place that is George gets the business from the travelers and Myrtle, well, gets Tom or is it the other way
around! F. Scott Fitzgerald greatly succeeded in representing all of the social classes in a very discreet but symbolistic way. He used different symbols from each type of life style and incorporated them into this famous best-selling book that is greatly known for its representation as a Golden Age book. It is proven that more people purchase The Great Gatsby when the economy is full and times are good. He wrote it in an intriguing way so that the reader gets very interested in the book and its meaning. It is the kind of book that leaves a lasting impression on its readers’ minds. This book definitely changes a person 's opinion on the wealthy class of citizens during the 1920s. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby to highlight the wide abyss between the wealthy, middle, and poor class of citizens in the 1920’s.

Works Cited
Fitsgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1925. Print.
Gallow, Rose Adrienne. F. Scott Fitsgerald. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1978.
Minter, David L. "Dream, Design, and Interpretation." Twentieth Century Interpretation of The Great Gatsby. Ed. Ernest Lockridge. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1968.