The Great Gatsby Essay

How do the extracts from The Great Gatsby explore the fundamental dichotomy between old and new money through social attitudes and values?

The Great Gatsby, written by F.Scott Fitzgerald, is a tale that explores Jay Gatsby’s futile attempts at trying to fulfill his version of the “American dream”.  By portraying details of Gatsby’s life and his untimely death due to the meddling of the upper class, the novel showcases the wide gap between “old money” and “new money”.The novel is loosely based on Fitzgerald himself and depicts that the idealised American dream is in fact unattainable as it tries to replicate past events in the present. The novel follows the chronological events of a summer with frequent interruptions with details of Gatsby’s life, presented as revelations made to the narrator. The novel is retrospective and uses analepsis. Fitzgerald employs the use of juxtaposition, symbolism and metaphors amongst other literary devices to showcase the contrast between the way the traditional upper class is perceived with how the nouveau rich are perceived. He also illustrates the importance of the customs and social behaviours prevalent within the upper class of the time that distinguish them from everyone else to construct a tale that presents the chasm between old and new money.

At the very beginning of the novel, the defining contrast that is present between the two aforementioned groups is established through the depiction of the houses characterising East Egg (residence of the upper class) and the houses present at West Egg (residence of the newly rich). The narrator: Nick describes Gatsby’s house in West Egg as a ” factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy” and the houses in East Egg as ” the white palaces of fashionable East egg glittered along the water”. Nick’s reference to Gatsby’s house as an imitation helps readers discern that the houses in West Egg are imitations of classy places but the class has not made it through the translation. The mention of raw ivy is quite significant as a symbol as it is usually associated with colonial aristocratic mansions with history. Here, a thin beard implies that all the construction is new and thus lacks historical value. Fitzgerald uses juxtaposition to contrast the living situations and thereby the lifestyle of both the classes, as the houses at East egg are presented as “white palaces’ immediately after. Ultimately, the disparity prevalent leads the reader to understand that even though Gatsby’s house was “colossal” it could not be seen as an equivalent to the houses in East Egg because it lacked class.

Later, Fitzgerald presents the attitude and behaviour shown by the upper class towards the newly rich by displaying the interactions that occur between them. Firstly, he depicts an interaction between Sloane, his wife, Tom, Nick and Gatsby. Here, Sloane’s wife “invites” Gatsby to dine with them, an invitation he hastily accepts due to his desperation to be a part of their class. However, as Tom soon clarifies when Gatsby is out of hearing range, “She doesn’t want him” and that “she has a big dinner party and he won’t know a soul there.” The reader understands the duplicitous nature of the upper class as they illustrate themselves as welcoming people but are quite the opposite. Alongside, it is also revealed that they value old connections over newly formed bonds. This is due to the fact that even though Sloane had a large dinner party, none would have known Gatsby there as they only interact with whoever they deem suitable in terms of class and not money. Through this interaction, the reader also understands that Nick would have been more accepted than Gatsby due to his family status even though he is not nearly as wealthy as him. A few scenes later, Fitzgerald also reveals that there are unwritten rules that “old money” follows by showing an interaction between Jordan and Tom. Jordan tells Tom that Gatsby is an Oxford graduate to which he replies by saying, “Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit.” The reader understands that even an innocent mistake like wearing a pink suit could be seen as a grave offence by the upper class. Through these interactions, Fitzgerald portrays the idea that there are certain rules that the upper class has been brought up with which they would never go against and that they never allow someone of supposed inferior birth to be a part of their group. These features make them appear quite a lot like cliques.

Towards the end of the book, while Gatsby awaits Daisy’s acceptance of going away with him, he speaks at length with Nick about the time he met Daisy. Here, Fitzgerald again presents the contrast between the newly rich and the upper class by juxtaposing Gatsby and Daisy’s house. Firstly, Nick while looking for cigarettes, describes Gatsby’s house as ” innumerable feet of dark wall” and the rooms in it as “musty”. The descriptions of the house are significant as it shows the reader that even though the house was enormous it had a dark quality to it as opposed to being a place that provided comfort. In addition to that, the fact that Nick remarked how the rooms were musty shows that Gatsby could not maintain his large estate well despite his wealth, at least in the eyes of Nick.  Then, as Gatsby and Nick continue to converse, Gatsby speaks about Daisy’s house. He remarks, “There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms up-stairs more beautiful and cool than other bedrooms”. This remark is pivotal to the readers’ understanding of the fact that the houses of the upper class could be distinguished from the rest as even though Gatsby’s house was very grand, it had a dark aura around it while Daisy’s house seemed ethereal. It also leads to the conclusion that being aristocratic was an experience which could not be had with wealth alone.

In conclusion, the fact that a central theme in The Great Gatsby is the clear distinction between new money and old money is exceedingly shocking because America as a democratic country is not supposed to have an “upper aristocratic” class as it is considered to be the epitome of a “merit based” system, wherein if someone works hard, they receive the benefits. The fact that all the houses shown are grand but have dissimilar qualities attached to them and that certain colours are not be worn amongst other values, show how being “old money” is an idea that cant be bought by wealth. The values and the presentation of old money as a clique showcases how the upper classes had long suppressed the lower classes and had continued to do so. It did not matter how much wealth someone outside the clique had acquired, they would never be allowed to climb up the social ladder. Eventually, all of these details make the reader question how merit based America really is.