The Theme of Class and the Evolution of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby

Written in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald's, ‘The Great Gatsby’ is often referred to as ‘The Great American Novel’ and as the quintessential work, which captures the mood of the ‘Jazz Age’. In this paper I will examine how class is an articulation of insecurities felt by the American people in the years following the First World War. I will also be writing about the idea of the American dream and corruption of this dream by avarice. The ‘roaring twenties’ is the collective name for these significant years, which would ultimately culminate in The Great Depression (the great depression refers to the collapse of the American economy in 1929. It was an event whose reverberations were felt the world over.) America, which had just returned from the war, was quite shaken up by what it had witnessed on the war front. Therefore on returning home, people gave themselves up to a culture of decadence and revelry to compensate for the hardships undergone. They could well afford to do so. Unlike its allies, America had entered the First World War towards the end and did not suffer much economic loss. Americans had also sold costly war supplies to its allies. The European economy was in shambles and in the wake of the disruption of its industries; America became the leading exporter of goods. The dizzying rise of the stock market, government policies, low taxes, Prohibition and easy credit led to a consumer culture. Public demand increased for things like cars, electrical products, and domestic goods. This lead to the setting up of industries on a massive scale, which in turn created more jobs and opportunities. Clearly the 1920s was a time of unprecedented economic prosperity for the U.S.

Class as it appears in ‘The Great Gatsby’ is in the form of a hierarchy at three levels. Those who are in possession of ‘old wealth’ occupy the top rung. These are the inhabitants of East Egg as represented by Daisy and Tom Buchanan. The nouveau riche occupies the middle rung, they are ‘upstarts’ who have come into sudden wealth because of the war. Jay Gatsby of West Egg primarily represents the middle rung. Languishing at the bottom are the have-nots represented by Myrtle and George Wilson in the valley of ashes. Common to all three levels is an insecurity and anxiety about their standing in society. The ‘East Eggers’ while turning their noses down at the West Eggers are also apprehensive of this new generation of people who have become rich all of a sudden.