The Great Gatsby Money And Power Analysis

Money and power are two of the most overly analyzed aspects when it comes to placing someone on the social spectrum. This clearly leaves a gap between those born into prosperity and those who work their way into it. The American Dream fails to acknowledge that money and power are a game where superiority and inferiority are the players. In the fullness of time there is a rewarding factor present for the one higher in position, but the catch is the is persistent competition between those of new money and those of old. Fitzgerald makes the argument that the American Dream is clearly flawed and lacks in recognizing the strong sense of entitlement that come with old money because they have been born into the game and have been playing ever since. The American Dream portrays a utopia in which every U.S. citizen has an equal opportunity toward acquiring success through their hard work and dedication. …show more content…
These people have been higher on the social spectrum for a longer period of time and, “owning the right to possessions [is] one thing, but having the right past, which [cannot] not be bought, [is] another matter entirely” (Thomas Heise). Evidently, the “right past” is what strives someone toward feeling powerful. It illuminates the reality that those of old money did not buy their way into prosperity, but instead, simply had their wealth handed to them and were born into the path of prosperity. This signifies the fact that money and power a game of luck because one who is born into prosperity consequently feels entitled simply because of their background. Furthermore, the past is not something that can be bought, which overall creates a sense of anxiety for those of new money because they were not granted this luck. This relates to the prerogative that comes with being wealthy because in “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a recurring theme of old money feeling superior