Essay on Class Conflict in the Great Gatsby - 1261 Words

The main, reoccurring theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is the theme of society and class. Three separate social classes are portrayed in the novel: â€Å"old money,† â€Å"new money,† and the lowest class known as â€Å"no money.† The â€Å"old money† class refers to those who come from families that have fortunes. â€Å"New money† families are those who made their money in the Roaring Twenties and often lavishly display their wealth. In the novel, the growing tension between the â€Å"old† and the â€Å"new† money classes are shown through Gatsby and Tom’s struggle over Daisy. The novel’s narrator, Nick Carraway, begins the novel by sharing advice his father gave him when he was younger: do not criticize others because â€Å"all the people in this world†¦show more content†¦Some big bootlegger?†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ Where’d you hear that? I inquired. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ I didn’t h ear it. I imagined it. A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ Not Gatsby, I said shortly. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ He was silent for a moment. The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. Well, he certainly must have strained himself to get this menagerie together. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ A breeze stirred the gray haze of Daisy’s fur collar. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ At least they’re more interesting than the people we know, she said with an effort. (6.98-105) By juxtaposing Gatsby and Daisy, Fitzgerald distinctly reveals the idiocy of the â€Å"new money† class. Daisy comes from an environment with true values and stiff behavior, and when placed in West Egg she finds herself unable to live with such negligence. The theme of this novel, the hollowness of the upper class, is similarly portrayed at the very end of the novel after the death of Gatsby. The day before Gatsby’s funeral, Nick goes around in an effort to assemble more people to attend the services. He goes to New York to try to get Meyer Wolfsheim, a friend of Gatsby, to attend the ceremony. Wolfsheim reflects on his friendshipShow MoreRelatedSocial Class : The Great Gatsby, Conflicts And Relationships1176 Words   |  5 Pages Social Class is Everything In today’s society, social class plays a large role in who is with who. Celebrity couples and weddings are very commonplace, but the rich and famous rarely marry those who are of the middle, or lower class. If it does happen though, it is usually a rich, older man marrying a young, beautiful woman. This would usually not happen unless the older man was rich, and these relationships do not usually last very long. 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