• Home Page
  • Importance Of Expectations In Great Expectations

Importance Of Expectations In Great Expectations

Decent Essays
Show More
We live within a society where social status matters the most to people and they’re being recognized by the amount of wealth they have. This wealth than leads them to pursue their goals. Goals can be either wanting to be a gentlemen, gaining the love of their life or having the desire of being rich. Both Charles Dickens and Scott Fitzgerald portray in their pieces of literature that individuals/characters are in need of having a higher social status in order to achieve their love, when in fact that status just leads to cruelty, greed and arrogance. In Charles Dickens’ Great Expectation, Pip wants to become a gentlemen because he’s in love with Estella. Therefore, in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby returns after many years as …show more content…
Pip lives with his Sister, and her husband Joe. Joe is a blacksmith with a very small income which makes them poor, and part of the lower class society. Joe taught Pip everything he knew; interaction with others along with the work of a blacksmith. However, Pip just seems to take account for what he lacks rather than realizing what he already has. When Pip is led to Miss Havisham’s world and the upper class society that’s when Pip acknowledges everything he doesn’t have. Pip realizes how much he wants to become part of Miss Havisham’s society, “I had heard of Miss Havisham up town—everybody for miles round, had heard of Miss Havisham up town—as an immensely rich and grim lady who lived in a large and dismal house barricaded against robbers, and who led a life of seclusion” (Dickens chapter …show more content…
Fitzgerald divided the social society into two; East Egg and West Egg. East Egg is where people are referred as the old money because they were born into wealthy families and inherited the fortune. While on the other hand, West Egg is where the people have recently become wealthy and known to be new money. Those living in West Egg for example, Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are unable to afford living in East Egg, despite having money. Even though Jay Gatsby has managed to become a wealthy man, he wasn’t able to bring himself to the standards of the old society of upper class. He wouldn’t be considered to be equal in the eyes of Daisy and her husband

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Great Expectations And The Secret Life Of Bees: Similar Themes
    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Great Expectations And The Secret Life Of Bees: Similar Themes

    In Great Expectations, Pip is told by his sister, Mrs. Joe, that he is worthless and will amount to nothing. In the beginning of the book, when Pip returns from meeting the convict on the moor, he gets this scolding remark, “‘Where have you been, you young monkey?’ said Mrs. Joe, stamping her foot” (Dickens 7-8). She calls Pip names all of the time and abuses him both verbally and physically. These actions beat Pip down and make him feel worthless and invaluable.…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Juxtaposition In The Great Gatsby
    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Juxtaposition In The Great Gatsby

    The conclusion of World War I signified the beginning of an era of great material wealth and newfound prosperity in America. Such conditions provided the platform on which the social class of “new” money was built during the 1920s. The rising class of “new” money greatly contrasted with the aristocrats of society, who had inherited the prosperity of their ancestors and had never known the economic struggles of the average person. The juxtaposition between these two classes is eloquently conveyed by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the noble East Egg and “new” money of the West Egg in his acclaimed novel, The Great Gatsby. Through the vivid depiction of West Egg resident Jay Gatsby’s parties and its guests, Fitzgerald unveils this social divide and discloses the injustices of elitist society, offering a justification for East Egger Daisy Buchanan’s refusal to leave her husband, Tom, for Gatsby.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Why Is Money Important In The Great Gatsby
    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Why Is Money Important In The Great Gatsby

    In modern society, money has developed into a large factor of judgement. People nowadays revolve around money and how wealthy one another are. Affluence has grown to determine people’s social ranking in society, as well as their motives and personalities. To further this theory, a person who is highly rich, for example, might appear as happier as and more confident than a person of a lower class. Although money can have a positive influence, it can also produce a negative effect.…

    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Social Isolation In The Great Gatsby
    • 2045 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Social Isolation In The Great Gatsby

    Social Isolation in The Great Gatsby In The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters experience many situations where they have to remain alone due to the different “worlds” in which they live. The geographical locations the characters live in during the 1920’s divide them into two sides separated by one thing: money. The journey Jay Gatsby strives so hard to complete is to overcome the ultimate divide. The contrasting worlds of new money and old money in the 1920’s reinforce perpetual isolation.…

    • 2045 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Theme Of Pride In The Great Gatsby
    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Theme Of Pride In The Great Gatsby

    Many writers in the 1920’s struggled with the change that they saw in the world, but there were also writers who wished to embrace and evoke the social amendments. A reoccurring theme in the literature of this time is exploring individuality and having pride in who you are. This includes things such as living in the present, moving past racism and redefining gender roles. Examples of this theme can be found in many works written around the 1920’s, including The Great Gatsby, poetry by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Hills Like White Elephants, Harlem Renaissance poetry, and Respectable Woman.…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    East Egg And West Egg In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages

    East Egg And West Egg In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    In the 1920s there were two well known societies which are still known as East Egg and West Egg that are separated by the bay. East Egg is composed of families that have been rich for many generations. While West Egg is newly rich people who have earned their wealth. At the end of the day both of these societies are very wealthy, but have many differences from the way they act towards each other and there way of life. Fitzgerald has proven the differences between the two by using the characters in the novel to exemplify the different ways of life styles the West and East have.…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Miss Havisham In 'The Great Exception' By Charles Dickens
    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Miss Havisham In 'The Great Exception' By Charles Dickens

    Pip feels he had gotten what he need from Miss Havisham all the answer to Estella and the money for Herbert. But the book shows that Pip has a heart even if Miss Havisham did and made Estella not have a heart. Pip went back in the house to save Miss Havisham from the fire. Finally, I personally feel that this incident reinforced the novel’s theme that bad behavior can be redeemed by remorse and sympathy. Also no matter how cruel someone can be to a person, they will still be nice to you.…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Greed In The Great Gatsby
    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Greed In The Great Gatsby

    From the way one lives to the way one dresses, money seems to be a very important factor in the way people lead their lives. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, aspirations of unobtainable goals lead to unhappiness. The settings of Gatsby in West Egg, Daisy in East Egg, and Myrtle in Valley of Ashes all have different effects on the characters’ morals and values. Scott Fitzgerald paints a picture of West Egg as a place where greed runs prevalent, which in turn shapes Jay Gatsby’s covetous personality.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    West Egg In The Great Gatsby
    • 1485 Words
    • 6 Pages

    West Egg In The Great Gatsby

    “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). In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses West Egg as an example of people working to fulfill the American Dream, and East Egg as an example of aristocratic society. In the novel, East Egg represents Fitzgerald’s criticism of The American Dream, because the people of East Egg, specifically Tom Buchanan, look down upon new money and the major ideals of the American Dream. Because of people like Tom, other characters such as Gatsby and Myrtle can never accomplish the dream, because aristocracy doesn't allow them.…

    • 1485 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Social Conflicts In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Social Conflicts In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the main conflict exists between three distinct social classes: the old-money, the new-money, and the no-money. Tom and Daisy Buchanan descend from old-money and, therefore, felt as if they should inherit certain rights. They believe that their birth gives them power, similar to the idea of divine right. New-money is represented by the character Jay Gatsby. While the source of his money is originally unknown, it is obvious to other characters in the novel that Gatsby lacks certain social abilities that are bred into the characters from old-money.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Difference Between Social Class In The Great Gatsby
    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Difference Between Social Class In The Great Gatsby

    F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the difference between social classes during the Roaring Twenties through characters, such as Gatsby, Tom, Daisy and Myrtle, and situations conflicting with women and race in the Great Gatsby. The novel is set in East Egg and West Egg, which are two locations of different class. The people of this novel are either old money, new money, or they have no money. The difference in social classes puts a strain on Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. Fitzgerald also presents scenes of which give a glance at how women and different races were treated during this time period.…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Why Is Myrtle Important In The Great Gatsby
    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Why Is Myrtle Important In The Great Gatsby

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, talks about the American life during the 1920s and it is one of the most popular books in American history. During this time, the economy is prosperous: buildings are higher, parties are bigger, people become richer and liquor becomes cheaper. This period is also the age of many social and political changes that create a distinctive cultural edge in the United States. Despite the economic boom of this decade, The Great Gatsby shows that the American life is not as healthy as it looks. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald describes the corruptions of American society through aspects that have great influences such as money, wealth, and class.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Role Of West Egg In The Great Gatsby
    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Role Of West Egg In The Great Gatsby

    F. Scott Fitzgerald uses diction to show the changing morals from conservative to rebellious in America during the 1920s. West egg and East egg are perfect examples of the changing morals as West egg is the older values, living by their morals and ethics rather than their money, Gatsby and Nick both live in West egg. Fitzgerald describes West Egg as “the-well less fashionable of the two” and East Egg as “white palaces...glittering along the water.” (5). His use of the word “glittering” displays East Egg as majestic and desirable.…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Criticism Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby
    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Criticism Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    The American Dream; the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Unfortunately, back in the 1920’s this ideal remained but a mere dream for anyone trying to work their way up from rags to riches for the simple reason that it was practically impossible to become rich unless you were already born into it. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald we get an up close and personal idea of what it was really like to be after the American Dream. However, instead of the typical dollar and a dream story Fitzgerald puts his own spin. For one, Fitzgerald criticizes the “American Dream” in every possible way throughout the entire book.…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Great Gatsby Research Paper
    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Great Gatsby Research Paper

    The Great Gatsby Research Paper Through the illusory lives of the main characters in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald exhibits that chasing hollow dreams based on the past leads only to misery. The array of characters in this novel each alter their lives minimalistically and drastically to reach their goal of the American Dream. “The American Dream is an etho known throughout American history that every citizen in the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (Bloom). After World War I, the era of the 1920s welcomed new aesthetics and ambitions to become successful. In The Great Gatsby, various personas go through meticulous extents to attain triumphs.…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings