Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the division of economic classes is expressed through lavish parties, love, and actions with detrimental results. Jay Gatsby, the self-made man, and Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the born rich, possess unique traits and must follow rules specific to their own upper class. Fitzgerald uses this theme to illustrate how the separation of these upper classes affects their interaction with one another, their distinct rules, and their punishments.
The characters who are born wealthy do not have consequences for their actions, and typically look down on those who work for their fortune. When Daisy hits Myrtle in the road, instead of checking on Myrtle and waiting for the police to arrive, she flees from the scene. Daisy, the driver of the …show more content…
Whereas Daisy gets away with murder, Gatsby must pay for his actions. When George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, finds out Gatsby’s car hit Myrtle, he wants revenge. The result is “a thin red circle in the water” and “Wilson's body… in the grass” (162). He takes the blame for Daisy being very angry and hitting Myrtle and ends up losing his own life. Likewise, Gatsby significantly differs from the wealthy because he feels the need to impress people, especially Daisy. In order to impress her with his wealth, he “bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay,” (78) so she would “wander into one of his parties” (79). Gatsby wants to show Daisy that he is better than Tom, so he has all of these parties to impress her. He is looked down upon because he did not inherit money from his father, so he feels the need to show Daisy that Tom’s wealth is nothing compared to him. Gatsby differs from Tom and Daisy in that he faces consequence for his actions, and he tries to impress those who are born
The characters who are born wealthy do not have consequences for their actions, and typically look down on those who work for their fortune. When Daisy hits Myrtle in the road, instead of checking on Myrtle and waiting for the police to arrive, she flees from the scene. Daisy, the driver of the …show more content…
Whereas Daisy gets away with murder, Gatsby must pay for his actions. When George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, finds out Gatsby’s car hit Myrtle, he wants revenge. The result is “a thin red circle in the water” and “Wilson's body… in the grass” (162). He takes the blame for Daisy being very angry and hitting Myrtle and ends up losing his own life. Likewise, Gatsby significantly differs from the wealthy because he feels the need to impress people, especially Daisy. In order to impress her with his wealth, he “bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay,” (78) so she would “wander into one of his parties” (79). Gatsby wants to show Daisy that he is better than Tom, so he has all of these parties to impress her. He is looked down upon because he did not inherit money from his father, so he feels the need to show Daisy that Tom’s wealth is nothing compared to him. Gatsby differs from Tom and Daisy in that he faces consequence for his actions, and he tries to impress those who are born