The Great Gatsby Upper Class Analysis

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald first published in 1925 focuses on the issue of the American dream and its effects on social groups in American society. The novel focuses on the affluence of the east egg and the west egg and comments on the false egalitarian nature of society that restricts specific social groups from achieving the American dream. The text shows a dramatic contrast between the rich and the poor and it is through this that we see the impact of the materialistic nature of the American Dream. Fitzgerald has achieved this sharp contrast through literary convections such as characterisation, imagery and setting in the novel. Fitzgerald uses literary convections to convey particular social meaning and to comment …show more content…
This is shown through the characterisation of Tom Buchanan and his wife Daisy who are the privileged upper class who inherited wealth and an established position in upper class American society through this. The privilege upper class attitude is presented in the quote by Tom “ We produced all the thing that go make civilization” which comments directly on the corrupt and selective nature of the American Dream and how the rich get richer while the poor continue to suffer and be defeated by the capitalist nature of the Aristocracy. The use of the collective pronoun ‘we’ to represent the idol rich and how they are the only dominant sphere in society where all other social groups are bellow them and hold no true power in society as a result of lack of wealth, presents the hypocritical disregard of the upper class to social status. Fitzgerald through this positions Tom as a true advocate of the American Dream and display the selective nature of it. The use of the segregation of the Aristocrats Daisy and Tom in the East egg represents the social hierarchy in society and aligns them with unlimited wealth. Depicted through the characterisation of Daisy as “Glowing now reflected gold” represent her true position in society as a symbol of material wealth. The use of the object ‘gold’ symbolizes the success of Daisy as a result of the present American Dream. Also the house that the Buchanan’s live in is displayed as “Cheerful Red and White Georgian colonial Mansion looking over the bay” once again reinforces their superiority in society as they are presented as ‘looking over the bay’ looking over society and through there material wealth dictating the actions of all social groups bellow them. The use of colonial Mansion reinstates their colonial roots and inheritance of