Literary Analyis Essay on Social Class and Status in The Great Gatsby

Introduction

Every society is divided into social classes that rank people depending on their financial strength. This means that people earning high incomes, middle-income-earners, and low-income-earners live and belong to different social groups. The social class stereotype depends on the academic achievement of parents and the influence they have on a society that is full of other people who have not gained a high level of education (Roberts 78). Social classes create a high level of inequality since one can only interact with people from their social background. People from the high-income social class look down upon the low-income earners and do not consider them as equals who deserve to enjoy the natural resources in the environment. High-income earners afford a better life and are exposed to the fine things. For instance, they can afford an expensive hospitalization while the low-income earners have to wallow in poverty and depend on unreliable insurance covers that do not cater for all their medical needs (Tredell 22). This means that people with low income need to look for options of funding their medical needs.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Analysis of Upper-Class Society

Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, defines the search for wealth and happiness. He describes a society that is full of different people in search of comfort and wellbeing since the community had felt the negative effects of war. People were settling and trying to find a balance in life despite the economic conditions that existed. All people had to find a balance in the economic sector irrespective of their background, which required one to work hard. After some time, people were settled, and it was evident that their economic strength differed which resulted in the social classes, ranging from upper, middle, and working class (Wang 29). The upper class owned more wealth and were able to engage in activities that people in the working class could not afford like throwing parties that accommodated large numbers of people. This means that their disposable income was large (Beuka 88). Despite the large resources at their exposure, the upper social class rarely accommodated the middle and working class members due to the different perceptions and attitudes towards wealth. Fitzgerald represents the different theme in his book including power, influence, greed, and justice.

Max Weber's theory of social class argues that power influence is based on different factors. This is because one's social class can be the basis of their power as well as the political ideologies they adhere. Hence, status and power are different sources of influence, since they have a direct effect on the decisions made both in short-term and in the long-term. In addition, possessing and exercising power are different things. Wealth is attached to the property that an individual owns while power is the influence and the ability to reach the goals one has despite the opposition faced by others. A class is closely connected to the economic influence that one has since their market position is the main determining factor of wealth.

Each social group faces different advantages and issues. For the upper class, the main issue is how to improve the quality of their lives and how they can access better and quality services in the future, as well as securing their generations (Sayre and Michael 133). This means that children born into rich families do not have to work for wealth since it already runs across the generations. The old money makes children from well-to-do families organize parties and ways of enjoying the accumulated wealth over time (Wang 39). For instance, Buchanas belonged to a rich family. There is a great distinction between the people born into families with wealth and those who have to work hard so that they can acquire it for their use. The former does not have to pretend to be busy so that they can make deals that will result into cash, unlike the latter who have to be on the lookout for more opportunities they can use to generate more income. For instance, Jordan has to engage in business deals so that they can earn more income. The rich are also drawn together by the money the group possesses (Beuka 56). For instance, when Gatsby throws a party, he invites people of his social class since there is an image he wants to create and maintain in the society. The relationship between the two classes of the upper-income social group reveals that those born into families with great wealth have no problem with ideas on how they can spend the cash since they are constantly holding parties (Tredell 45). On the other hand, the social class of the acquired resources has to be cautious in the ways they spend their cash. One of the challenges that people from the upper social class is that they do not fit with the other levels. The perception and thoughts towards wealth are different meaning that their spending habits limit their interaction.

Gatsby's Attraction to Daisy and the Influence of Social Class

Gatsby is attracted to Daisy even though they are not from the same social class. This makes it hard for them to relate to each other despite the attraction that exists between them. The upper-class society wants to interact and marry into people from the same economic wealth (Roberts 78). This means that both men and women from the different social classes are cautious on the type of people they interact with since it has long-term implications on the kind of lives they live, as well as the generations that will come from their union. It justifies the notion that people marry into wealth even though other factors for a successful relationship do not exist like integrity, trustworthiness, and faithfulness (Sayre and Michael 134). Due to the strong influence of social classes and wealth, most people would rather remain in unhappy relationships than pursue their happiness. This encourages the issue of extra-marital affairs like in the case of Daisy and Tom. Tom maintains the accepted norms in the society of marrying a woman of his social class but has women from the lower classes (Wang 55). He is jealous to think that his wife, Daisy, would be interested in another man even though they do not belong to the same social class.

Conclusion

The idea that social class is not related to wealth also narrows down to the probability of the wealth of an individual lasting for a long-time as well as the connections that a person had in the society. Daisy is aware that even though she had developed an attraction for Gatsby, who possessed a lot of wealth, the relationship would not work (Beuka 67). This is because Gatsby was not influential and would not help her get the things she wanted in life. On the other hand, Jordan, her unfaithful husband was able to influence things in her favor and that of his life, which justified the close relationship, even though it was dysfunctional. Myrtle is also motivated to pursue the relationship with a married man because of the advantages that came with being associated with a person from a wealthy and influential position. For instance, Jordan took her to expensive places and enabled her to afford a quality life, one that she would not have had if she had no relationship with the man (Tredell 11). Fitzgerald can demonstrate that human relationships are determined by the benefits that one is expected to have if they maintain the union with an influential person.

It is also evident that most people attended Gatsby's parties because of the high probability of meeting influential people in their lives, that would help change the social status. The parties attracted people from all social classes which made sure that those from middle-class would get a chance to interact with those from the upper-class. The concept of class upheld in the parties ensured that the low-class individuals were unable to attend. In conclusion, the issue of social class is still relevant even in the modern day. People with the same economic abilities tend to relate to each other and also interact in both the business and personal level. On the other hand, persons from a social class continue interacting with each other. This widens the gap between the rich and the poor since there is no chance for the two groups to exchange ideas that can help the poor increase their abilities to earn more.

Works Cited

Beuka, Robert. American icon: Fitzgerald's the Great Gatsby in critical and cultural context. Camden House, 2011.

Roberts, Marilyn. "" Scarface,"" The Great Gatsby," and the American Dream." Literature/Film Quarterly 34.1 (2006): 71-78.

Sayre, Robert Woods, and Michael Lowy. "Reification and Conspicuous Consumption in The Great Gatsby." New Politics9.2 (2003): 134.

Tredell, Nicolas. F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Wang, Ya-huei. "A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Gatsby's Faulty Perception of Reality in The Great Gatsby."