CLASS STRUCTURE AND SOCIETAL ATTITUDE:
Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald touches on a number of specific issues of the time period, such as racism, the American dream, love and betrayal, and so forth. Though these topics are relevant and play an important role in the development of the storyline, one of the most reinforced ideas is the concept of social standings and how that directly impacts attitudes and outlooks on the surrounded environments. America is not a classless society. It isn’t now and it never will be. In The Great Gatsby, we see two forms of wealth, new and old. The line separating these two is drawn between East and West Egg. Nick comments on this in the first chapter, “I lived at West Egg, the -- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them.” (Fitzgerald 5). Most families in East Egg were born into money, therefore representing the “old money”, which means West Egg is “new money”. Old money is inherited from family and new money is earned in one generation. The two classes don’t seem to mix much, except for the Daisy-Gatsby debacle and the Tom/Myrtle affair. This is commonly seen as one person in each relationship trying to move into the other’s lifestyle. For example, Gatsby strived for the wealth and class Daisy has, and Myrtle is wishing for a life outside the Valley, with Tom and his money. From the 1920s, wealth and social status seem to go hand in hand. Surprisingly, wealth and happiness seem to have little correlation. Almost all of the characters seem gravely dissatisfied with their lives, and make many futile attempts to change their fates.
POLITICS:
In the 20s, the concept of prohibition was a popular topic of dispute. It’s thought that Gatsby was a bootlegger with his friend Wolfsheim, especially by Tom. “”He and this Wolfsheim brought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far off.”” (Fitzgerald 133) Tom is trying to explain that Gatsby got his money by illegal business, which Gatsby doesn’t directly confirm nor dismiss. Prohibition was one of the two bigger political issues, as we see alcohol frequently throughout the book. The second of the two constitutional problems is the difference between the poor and the rich. In the 1920s, the middle class wasn’t as common as it is today. The difference between the lifestyle of civilians in the Valley of Ashes is exceptionally dissimilar to those living in the city, such as Daisy and Tom. By looking at these two political issues, we see the sort of disreputable ambience of the 1920s. The topics F. Scott Fitzgerald exposes us to in The Great Gatsby are very different from the ones we deal with in this day and age.
FASHION AND LEISURE:
The 1920s were a period of change. As the 19th Amendment was ratified, women gained the right to vote, which brought about alterations in society. New rights brought about new fashion ideas that pushed the stereotypes, such as the then recently modified shorter hemlines and looser waistlines. With the feeling of power that came from voting and the focus of the war shifted back into the ever so important social lifestyles, fashion became a focal point and high priority of the 20s.
Within the first three chapters, we are shown this sort of leisurely attitude most of the characters possess. No one is worried about getting to work on time or getting things done, and it’s considered the crazy wealth of these characters that adds to the temperaments we see. “Reading over what I have written so far, I see I have given the impression that the events of three nights several weeks apart were all that absorbed me.” (Fitzgerald 55) If Nick didn’t clarify this in chapter three, most readers would probably assume that Nick didn’t do much, taking into consideration the amount of information we’ve received about his plans the past few weeks. Gatsby is known for throwing extravagant parties nearly every week, and it shows the overwhelming amount of free time he has on his hands.
Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald touches on a number of specific issues of the time period, such as racism, the American dream, love and betrayal, and so forth. Though these topics are relevant and play an important role in the development of the storyline, one of the most reinforced ideas is the concept of social standings and how that directly impacts attitudes and outlooks on the surrounded environments. America is not a classless society. It isn’t now and it never will be. In The Great Gatsby, we see two forms of wealth, new and old. The line separating these two is drawn between East and West Egg. Nick comments on this in the first chapter, “I lived at West Egg, the -- well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them.” (Fitzgerald 5). Most families in East Egg were born into money, therefore representing the “old money”, which means West Egg is “new money”. Old money is inherited from family and new money is earned in one generation. The two classes don’t seem to mix much, except for the Daisy-Gatsby debacle and the Tom/Myrtle affair. This is commonly seen as one person in each relationship trying to move into the other’s lifestyle. For example, Gatsby strived for the wealth and class Daisy has, and Myrtle is wishing for a life outside the Valley, with Tom and his money. From the 1920s, wealth and social status seem to go hand in hand. Surprisingly, wealth and happiness seem to have little correlation. Almost all of the characters seem gravely dissatisfied with their lives, and make many futile attempts to change their fates.
POLITICS:
In the 20s, the concept of prohibition was a popular topic of dispute. It’s thought that Gatsby was a bootlegger with his friend Wolfsheim, especially by Tom. “”He and this Wolfsheim brought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far off.”” (Fitzgerald 133) Tom is trying to explain that Gatsby got his money by illegal business, which Gatsby doesn’t directly confirm nor dismiss. Prohibition was one of the two bigger political issues, as we see alcohol frequently throughout the book. The second of the two constitutional problems is the difference between the poor and the rich. In the 1920s, the middle class wasn’t as common as it is today. The difference between the lifestyle of civilians in the Valley of Ashes is exceptionally dissimilar to those living in the city, such as Daisy and Tom. By looking at these two political issues, we see the sort of disreputable ambience of the 1920s. The topics F. Scott Fitzgerald exposes us to in The Great Gatsby are very different from the ones we deal with in this day and age.
FASHION AND LEISURE:
The 1920s were a period of change. As the 19th Amendment was ratified, women gained the right to vote, which brought about alterations in society. New rights brought about new fashion ideas that pushed the stereotypes, such as the then recently modified shorter hemlines and looser waistlines. With the feeling of power that came from voting and the focus of the war shifted back into the ever so important social lifestyles, fashion became a focal point and high priority of the 20s.
Within the first three chapters, we are shown this sort of leisurely attitude most of the characters possess. No one is worried about getting to work on time or getting things done, and it’s considered the crazy wealth of these characters that adds to the temperaments we see. “Reading over what I have written so far, I see I have given the impression that the events of three nights several weeks apart were all that absorbed me.” (Fitzgerald 55) If Nick didn’t clarify this in chapter three, most readers would probably assume that Nick didn’t do much, taking into consideration the amount of information we’ve received about his plans the past few weeks. Gatsby is known for throwing extravagant parties nearly every week, and it shows the overwhelming amount of free time he has on his hands.
Page by: Julia Russo
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