The Great Gatsby Morality

Often in life there are those who have wealth and feel like they are on top of the world and below them is the poor who have to work hundred times harder just to make living. “Money is only a tool.”(Ayn Rand).Set during the beginning of 1900 , the Great Gatsby talks about one’s ultimatum to get ones love.Through the Great Gatsby Fitzgerald is making the claim that depending on which class people are in , there would a class stratification and the rich would always feel superior or that they matter and continue to uphold being rich no matter the cause.

When Ms.Wilson gets hit by the car , Tom does not show any condolences but rather try to clear his name so he can keep his reputation.This shows the class stratification because Tom carries more about his wealth rather than another’s life.“That yellow car i was driving this afternoon wasn’t mine do you hear? I haven’t seen it all afternoon.”(Fitzgerald 140)Tom is more worried about keep his name clean rather than help Mr.Wilson get through this , all of this due to the class he is in , he has more to lose if people suspect that he did this. When Gatsby dies and Nick tries to get people to come to his funeral the true colors of his “friends” come out . they were only attracted to his wealth not for who he was.“I made him …i can’t do it”(Fitzgerald 171)

One of Gatsby close friends Mr.Wolfshiem is shown as this person who only cared about Gatsby because he was making money and when he dies that friendship goes along with it , in this quote Fitzgerald is also trying to show how “passing” in american society works and only when your rich you can fit in but after that people who you though accepted you don’t really care.

There is juxtaposition in the class people are in for example Daisy basically gets away with murder because she is rich while Mr.wilson has no chose after he kills Gatsby but to shoot himself.“But she and tom and gone away … and taken baggage with them”(Fitzgerald 164)

Because they have access to money they are able to escape when things get complicated compared to the lower class like Mr.Wilson who wants take his wife for trip he has being planning for years. “My wife and i want to move west”(123)

Mr.Wilson wants to see if the American dream is possible and by moving he hopes he would be able to start new life and forget about living in the valley of ashes but that turns out to be false as he does not have money to move.

The class stratification between the rich and lower class dehumanizes those who don’t have wealth. When Ms.Wilson gets hit by the car and Tom comes to see Mr.Wilson “Wilson’s eyes fell upon Tom.. to his knees not Tom held him up straight” (140)Mr.Wilson has to look up to Tom because he is in high class him falling to his “knees” shows how he needs help there is gap and he wants to close but doesn’t feel equal to him because he does not have wealth.Before Ms.Wilson got hit by the car she was running towards the car because it represents wealth and she though that she could escape this but ultimately we see that it is impossible for it to happen.

“He didn’t even stop the car”141 The class stratification is brought up because when she gets hit she is in the street so no one stops because no one cares she is lower class , rich people do not associate themselves with that.

Through the Great Gatsby Fitzgerald is making the claim that depending on which class people are in , there would a class stratification and the rich would always feel superior or that they matter and continue to uphold being rich no matter the cause. In American one can have hopes and dreams to try and achieve the american dream but it is society that s keeps us away to attain that dream and one of those society pressure is class .

Resources

1. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Guidelines, 1989.

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