English The Great Gatsby Relevance
Modern Relevance of “The Great Gatsby”
F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is an American classic, not only because it is relatable, but because it is incredibly relevant today.
1. Class and Income Inequality
When Nick accompanies Tom to meet his mistress:
“About half way between West Egg and New York the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it... so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat...”
The Valley of Ashes lies between West Egg and New York. The stark contrast between the wealth of West Egg and the poverty of the Valley of Ashes is a representation of the inequality of the 1920s. The time is important in Fitzgerald’s work, because the inequity of the 1920’s, with all of its imperfections provides a point of reference for all the injustices in the Great Gatsby.
A microcosm of American society today (like the West Egg and Valley of Ashes) – Silicon Valley:
Silicon Valley (in the greater San Fran Bay Area) is like West Egg – with much of the new wealth in modern America (created by tech entrepreneurs, start-ups, and the internet boom)
The rich live alongside the poor:
Homelessness rose 20% in the last two years; food stamp participation is at a 10 year high: and Hispanics (25% of the pop.) make a new low of $19,000 a year – in a place where rent costs $2000/month
Palo Alto was the site of companies like Facebook, Google, and Logitech (big homes and high prices, stylish boutiques, high rate of education)
East Palo Alto as recently as 1992 was the murder capital of the United States and had an unemployment rate of 40%.
This represents a larger trend in American society – income inequality has reached 1920s heights.
2. Corruption of Wealth
Inequality isn’t bad per se, but it has bad effects for the economy. More prosperity in the hands of a privileged few means fewer dollars to be spent by the rest of us. And those dollars
F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is an American classic, not only because it is relatable, but because it is incredibly relevant today.
1. Class and Income Inequality
When Nick accompanies Tom to meet his mistress:
“About half way between West Egg and New York the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it... so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat...”
The Valley of Ashes lies between West Egg and New York. The stark contrast between the wealth of West Egg and the poverty of the Valley of Ashes is a representation of the inequality of the 1920s. The time is important in Fitzgerald’s work, because the inequity of the 1920’s, with all of its imperfections provides a point of reference for all the injustices in the Great Gatsby.
A microcosm of American society today (like the West Egg and Valley of Ashes) – Silicon Valley:
Silicon Valley (in the greater San Fran Bay Area) is like West Egg – with much of the new wealth in modern America (created by tech entrepreneurs, start-ups, and the internet boom)
The rich live alongside the poor:
Homelessness rose 20% in the last two years; food stamp participation is at a 10 year high: and Hispanics (25% of the pop.) make a new low of $19,000 a year – in a place where rent costs $2000/month
Palo Alto was the site of companies like Facebook, Google, and Logitech (big homes and high prices, stylish boutiques, high rate of education)
East Palo Alto as recently as 1992 was the murder capital of the United States and had an unemployment rate of 40%.
This represents a larger trend in American society – income inequality has reached 1920s heights.
2. Corruption of Wealth
Inequality isn’t bad per se, but it has bad effects for the economy. More prosperity in the hands of a privileged few means fewer dollars to be spent by the rest of us. And those dollars