Introduction
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 American novel The Great Gatsby, social class plays a pivotal role in shaping the identities, relationships, and destinies of the characters. Set during the extravagant Jazz Age of the 1920s, the novel offers a sobering and scathing critique of the elitism, prejudice, and superficiality governing the social hierarchies of the time. Through the tragic downfall of its protagonist Jay Gatsby and the cynicism of wealthy socialite Tom Buchanan, Fitzgerald illuminates the cruelty and callousness pervading the upper echelons of American high society. Ultimately, The Great Gatsby presents social class as a corrupt and corrupting force that divides people and distorts moral values. This essay will analyze the complex and multifaceted portrayal of social class in The Great Gatsby, examining its role in driving the conflicts and tragedy at the heart of Fitzgerald's seminal story of the Roaring Twenties. Tracing the damaging effects of rigid class boundaries and rampant materialism, this essay will argue that The Great Gatsby stands as a damning indictment of a society blinded by wealth, status, and privilege.
The Intricate Social Hierarchy of the 1920s
In the extravagant setting of New York City and Long Island during the 1920s, The Great Gatsby confronts social class distinctions between the established, aristocratic money of the East Coast and the nouveau riche. The legacy of accumulating family wealth over decades or centuries led to a firmly entrenched upper class with family names like Buchanan carrying prestige and power. At the same time, opportunities for making new money in business, finance, and other industries gave rise to self-made millionaires without distinguished lineages like the protagonist Jay Gatsby. However, despite his incredible wealth and lavish lifestyle, Gatsby's mysterious obscure background meant he could never attain the social acceptance of the old aristocracy. This underscores the rigid hierarchy and snobbery still governing society despite shifts in the sources of wealth.
Snobbery and Contempt in the Old Aristocracy
One of the central conflicts underpinning The Great Gatsby stems from the dismissive and contemptuous attitude the wealthy, established East Coast families hold towards the newly rich like Gatsby. Tom Buchanan, born into a wealthy Chicago family, displays this snobbery and condescension continually throughout the novel. For example, during a heated argument with Gatsby over Daisy, Tom disdainfully states, “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere” (Fitzgerald, 130), reducing Gatsby’s entire identity to his lack of prominent family lineage. Later, Tom also sneers, “I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a mile of her unless you brought the groceries to the back door” (Fitzgerald, 131), implying Gatsby could only have associated with Daisy in a menial service role. Through such disparaging comments, Fitzgerald reveals how the old aristocracy looked down upon and rejected outsiders, no matter how wealthy, perpetuating oppressive class divisions.
Materialism and Moral Bankruptcy in the Upper Classes
In addition to social snobbery and exclusion, Fitzgerald also scathingly condemns the hollow materialism and nihilism pervading the upper classes in The Great Gatsby. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, despite being extraordinarily wealthy and privileged, are portrayed as morally and spiritually bankrupt. Their lavish mansion is “overflowing” with “expensive and beautiful shirts” (Fitzgerald, 98), exemplifying a lifestyle of empty materialistic excess. Daisy is also incapable of sincere emotions or convictions, admitting cynically: “Sophisticated—God, I’m sophisticated!” (Fitzgerald, 24). Their relationship dissolves into affairs and indifference, leaving only a wasteland of disenchantment and spiritual emptiness. Through the Buchanans’ moral bankruptcy, Fitzgerald powerfully critiques an economic system and social order that dehumanizes people into callous, frivolous lives centered solely around indulgence and status.
Realism vs. Deliberate Social Commentary
Some argue that the social divisions in The Great Gatsby reflect the realistic circumstances of 1920s America rather than serving primarily as social commentary. Additionally, Tom, Daisy, and other East Coast elites’ snobbery towards Gatsby stem less from his new money status and more from his involvement in criminal enterprises like bootlegging. However, while Fitzgerald did closely study the society of his time, he takes artistic liberties to accentuate class conflict and critique the excessive materialism of the era. Rather than excusing the actions of the socially elite characters, Fitzgerald underscores their cruelty and toxicness. Lastly, Gatsby’s criminality only becomes known later in the novel and has little bearing on the initial contempt he receives from the old aristocracy. Therefore, the portrayal of social class remains a deliberate, critical choice by Fitzgerald.
Conclusion
Through the lens of social class, F. Scott Fitzgerald exposes the ugliness, emptiness, and cruelty breeding beneath the alluring glamour and extravagance of Jazz Age America. The pretensions, bigotry, and distorted values governing society reveal a plunging moral bankruptcy that taints all, even the social paragons on top. The Great Gatsby endures as one of the greatest deconstructions of a gilded age, warning against the poisonous influence of class on human decency. Fitzgerald’s sobering social commentary rings across the decades and reminds us that no amount of wealth and status can excuse abandoning compassion and humanity.
