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.
While the flamboyant parties hosted by West Egg resident Jay Gatsby serve as a meeting place for the wealthiest members of the upper class, they juxtapose the occupants of the East and West Eggs. As described by Nick Carraway, the …show more content…
Now that he is the immensely wealthy man he aspired to, he is incredulous: he cannot accept that he will never belong to the nobility of the East Egg and that he will never be with Daisy. After a conversation with Gatsby about the past, Nick says of Gatsby, “He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy” (110). Gatsby is clutching to the idea that there is some way to change his fate because the foundation of everything that Gatsby rests upon his unquenchable desire to be with Daisy. Thus, if he acknowledges that he and Daisy will never be together, the aura of Jay Gatsby will vanish and unearth the penurious James Gatz that he has worked so hard to
While the flamboyant parties hosted by West Egg resident Jay Gatsby serve as a meeting place for the wealthiest members of the upper class, they juxtapose the occupants of the East and West Eggs. As described by Nick Carraway, the …show more content…
Now that he is the immensely wealthy man he aspired to, he is incredulous: he cannot accept that he will never belong to the nobility of the East Egg and that he will never be with Daisy. After a conversation with Gatsby about the past, Nick says of Gatsby, “He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy” (110). Gatsby is clutching to the idea that there is some way to change his fate because the foundation of everything that Gatsby rests upon his unquenchable desire to be with Daisy. Thus, if he acknowledges that he and Daisy will never be together, the aura of Jay Gatsby will vanish and unearth the penurious James Gatz that he has worked so hard to