Social Class in West and East Egg
Social Class in West and East Egg
Michael Cannon
5/9/13
Written Task II
Word count: 995
Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald consistently presents us with themes and motifs that highlight and question Americas class and interactive social morals. Fitzgerald portrays America to us during one of it’s most influential and prominent decades. It is through this frame of America in the 1920s that we are brought to understand a new transition, and growing difference in the social structures in the 20s. As individuals both live and strive for the ideal American dream, we become aware of a distinct function in human society that begins draw a widening bridge in the class system. This distinct difference is shown through, obviously the lower classes yearning attempts to reach the American dream, and prescribed wealth. But more prominently The Great Gatsby provides a scope through which we are able to view the growing differences within Americas wealthiest classes, specifically with regards towards, morality and social graces. These differences in wealth are portrayed as ‘New “ and ‘Old’ money, which throughout the book are categorized by ‘East’ and ‘West’ Egg, east representing old money, and the older aristocracy, and west representing the newly self made millionaires. It is through individuals who respectively belong to east and west eggs that Fitzgerald attempts to represent a changing social frame between old and new money, and the differing morals and ideals that result from the groups.
Typically, throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses a character to embody or personify themes or motifs within in the book. Among the many qualities that Gatsby himself represents, one of the most iconic, is Fitzgerald’s use of Gatsby to represent new money, and social graces, and morality that have grown through this class, assuming this, we may interpret Gatsby’s actions as reflections of new monely archetypical qualities. Gatsby is portrayed to us as an
Michael Cannon
5/9/13
Written Task II
Word count: 995
Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald consistently presents us with themes and motifs that highlight and question Americas class and interactive social morals. Fitzgerald portrays America to us during one of it’s most influential and prominent decades. It is through this frame of America in the 1920s that we are brought to understand a new transition, and growing difference in the social structures in the 20s. As individuals both live and strive for the ideal American dream, we become aware of a distinct function in human society that begins draw a widening bridge in the class system. This distinct difference is shown through, obviously the lower classes yearning attempts to reach the American dream, and prescribed wealth. But more prominently The Great Gatsby provides a scope through which we are able to view the growing differences within Americas wealthiest classes, specifically with regards towards, morality and social graces. These differences in wealth are portrayed as ‘New “ and ‘Old’ money, which throughout the book are categorized by ‘East’ and ‘West’ Egg, east representing old money, and the older aristocracy, and west representing the newly self made millionaires. It is through individuals who respectively belong to east and west eggs that Fitzgerald attempts to represent a changing social frame between old and new money, and the differing morals and ideals that result from the groups.
Typically, throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses a character to embody or personify themes or motifs within in the book. Among the many qualities that Gatsby himself represents, one of the most iconic, is Fitzgerald’s use of Gatsby to represent new money, and social graces, and morality that have grown through this class, assuming this, we may interpret Gatsby’s actions as reflections of new monely archetypical qualities. Gatsby is portrayed to us as an