Parties are used to bring people together and more importantly show off to everyone else how rich and powerful you truly are. In F, Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the book 's namesake, new money Jay Gatsby is infamous for his exquisite parties while old money Tom Buchanan throws dinner parties with his mistress. These parties are almost polar opposites, Gatsby’s parties are very large and well known while Buchanan 's are done in secret. Furthermore, Gatsby and Buchanan are from very different social classes, Gatsby of new money and Buchanan of old money. Also, Jordan Baker mentions that she believes that larger parties are more intimate than smaller ones. The parties thrown by Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan & Myrtle Wilson are different
…show more content…
At these parties it is conceivable from the beginning that they party is not focused whatsoever on Gatsby but on the guests attending the party. This show the most by the fact that no one is actually invited, making these parties public to all that could get to this house. Nick Carraway, the narrator says, “People were not invited-they went there. They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island, and somehow they ended up at Gatsby’s door” (41). Most importantly though is that at these parties Gatsby is not an active host but works behind the scenes to ensure that everyone is having a good time. In general nobody except his close acquaintances know who he is as shown when the guests are making wild accusations based on rumors during the party about his origins and his past. His parties, these extravagant spectacles are those described as those of the new money rich, those who have recently come into fortune, not wealth passed down from generation to …show more content…
His party with Myrtle Wilson is much smaller than Gatsby’s and is almost entirely focused on Tom. In the beginning of the party, before the McKees show up, Tom and Myrtle slink off and leave Nick to sit alone in the apartment. Furthermore, during the party, Myrtle says Daisy’s name to make Tom angry and he responds by punching her in the face and breaking her nose. Nick explains it as “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with an open hand” (37). In doing this Tom shows this old money character of its his way or some type of punishment, in this case it was the breaking of Myrtle 's nose. In doing this, Tom also shows that he is the host that gets what he wants or he gets angry and violent. While it may be unfair to judge a man’s ability as a host based on how he treats his mistress who is screaming his wifes name, it does show the type of man he is and it does show what type of host he can be when he does not get things done in the way he likes. Class plays an important role in the way that these parties are
At these parties it is conceivable from the beginning that they party is not focused whatsoever on Gatsby but on the guests attending the party. This show the most by the fact that no one is actually invited, making these parties public to all that could get to this house. Nick Carraway, the narrator says, “People were not invited-they went there. They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island, and somehow they ended up at Gatsby’s door” (41). Most importantly though is that at these parties Gatsby is not an active host but works behind the scenes to ensure that everyone is having a good time. In general nobody except his close acquaintances know who he is as shown when the guests are making wild accusations based on rumors during the party about his origins and his past. His parties, these extravagant spectacles are those described as those of the new money rich, those who have recently come into fortune, not wealth passed down from generation to …show more content…
His party with Myrtle Wilson is much smaller than Gatsby’s and is almost entirely focused on Tom. In the beginning of the party, before the McKees show up, Tom and Myrtle slink off and leave Nick to sit alone in the apartment. Furthermore, during the party, Myrtle says Daisy’s name to make Tom angry and he responds by punching her in the face and breaking her nose. Nick explains it as “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with an open hand” (37). In doing this Tom shows this old money character of its his way or some type of punishment, in this case it was the breaking of Myrtle 's nose. In doing this, Tom also shows that he is the host that gets what he wants or he gets angry and violent. While it may be unfair to judge a man’s ability as a host based on how he treats his mistress who is screaming his wifes name, it does show the type of man he is and it does show what type of host he can be when he does not get things done in the way he likes. Class plays an important role in the way that these parties are