In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the title character as an instrument of satire through the depiction of Gatsby being driven to immorality and dishonesty by the social expectations of an increasingly voluptuous society. To begin with, Gatsby’s perpetration of illicit acts reveals the emphasis of the “get-rich-quick” mentality of the Roaring Twenties. As the novel unfolds, it becomes apparent that Gatsby’s riches were not acquired through fortune inheritance or other socially acceptable sources of wealth. Instead, he turns to organized crime and employs capitalistic means such as alcohol smuggling and bond swindling in order to amass vast quantities of money. At the beginning of the decade, the American government issued a nationwide ban,
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He uses the division of the upper class into “old money” and “new money”, represented by the opulent neighbourhoods of West Egg and East Egg, respectively, to comment on the corrupting effects of social stratification. While these two vicinities might look alike on the surface, the main difference lies in the socioeconomic backgrounds of the inhabitants. West Egg is composed of aristocrats, such as the Buchanans, who have inherited their wealth through a successive line of ancestors and are thought to be dignified, sophisticated and notable in society. Contrastingly, East Egg comprises those who have ascended the Jazz Age social hierarchy by having amassed a self-made fortune, as in the case of Jay Gatsby. Throughout the novel, great emphasis is placed on the importance and attractiveness of belonging to old money. Nick describes Daisy’s voice as being “full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it” (Fitzgerald, 115). At the same time, the nouveau riche population is looked down upon by inheritors of old money who consider themselves to be socially superior. This is exemplified by Daisy’s decision in choosing Tom over Gatsby upon discovery of the origins of the latter’s fortune, as she knew the elitist society of East Egg would never regard a self-made individual in the same manner as one who possesses generational wealth. This demonstrates the aggrandized extent of superficiality in the 1920s, to the point where it is not even about having money, but about being able to boast the right kind. Furthermore, Fitzgerald emphasizes the impropriety of the decade’s upper class through their insensitive and unsympathetic treatment of those belonging to a different social status. Nick perfectly summarizes the unscrupulous nature of the
He uses the division of the upper class into “old money” and “new money”, represented by the opulent neighbourhoods of West Egg and East Egg, respectively, to comment on the corrupting effects of social stratification. While these two vicinities might look alike on the surface, the main difference lies in the socioeconomic backgrounds of the inhabitants. West Egg is composed of aristocrats, such as the Buchanans, who have inherited their wealth through a successive line of ancestors and are thought to be dignified, sophisticated and notable in society. Contrastingly, East Egg comprises those who have ascended the Jazz Age social hierarchy by having amassed a self-made fortune, as in the case of Jay Gatsby. Throughout the novel, great emphasis is placed on the importance and attractiveness of belonging to old money. Nick describes Daisy’s voice as being “full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it” (Fitzgerald, 115). At the same time, the nouveau riche population is looked down upon by inheritors of old money who consider themselves to be socially superior. This is exemplified by Daisy’s decision in choosing Tom over Gatsby upon discovery of the origins of the latter’s fortune, as she knew the elitist society of East Egg would never regard a self-made individual in the same manner as one who possesses generational wealth. This demonstrates the aggrandized extent of superficiality in the 1920s, to the point where it is not even about having money, but about being able to boast the right kind. Furthermore, Fitzgerald emphasizes the impropriety of the decade’s upper class through their insensitive and unsympathetic treatment of those belonging to a different social status. Nick perfectly summarizes the unscrupulous nature of the