The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a novel that illustrates different classifications of American society during the 1920’s. To create an interest in his novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald created compulsive characters with different backgrounds and different strata in society. All of the main characters in this novel have their own individual life stories. Some of the characters acquired a huge amount of money from their parents, some became rich by working hard and some basically didn’t have much money. Fitzgerald tries to illustrate to the reader that no matter how much money a person has or how the acquired the money, but the most significant thing is that money cannot buy person happiness. Although all the characters in “The Great Gatsby” acquire a different stratum in society, they are still alike each other.

The different classifications of society consist of, new money, old money, some money, and no money. There are two distinct types of wealthy people. The first types of distinct wealthy individuals are people like Gatsby. These are the people who live on West Egg, which is a "less fashionable" side of Long Island where Gatsby and Nick live and other families with “New Money”. By new money the classification is referring to the money that Gatsby acquires. Gatsby grew up in a middle class family in the Midwest and when he was old enough to support himself he moved to New York and worked hard to make a lot of money, even though he made it by doing some illegal things; “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God-a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that-and he must be about His Fathers Business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” (Fitzgerald, 104). This basically means that he is self-made man with new money. In The Great Gatsby, money affects all the characters in distinct ways. For Gatsby, his money would help him get his love Daisy. But it seems that his money turns out to be somewhat of an obstacle in getting Daisy. Gatsby gained wealth to impress Daisy. When Gatsby and Daisy first met, Gatsby was in the army and was very poor. Daisy came from a wealthy family and because of the views of society; these two were not able to pursue their feelings for each other. Gatsby then dedicated his life to becoming wealthy so that one-day he could possibly start a new life with Daisy. He accomplished his goal of making money but could not get Daisy. The “new money’ is the money that is earned through an occupation of some operation, weather legal or illegal. Gatsby earned his money through bootlegging alcohol and other mob activities during the great depression.

The East Egg is the "fashionable" side of Long Island where the Buchanan’s and other "old money" families live. The second distinct types of wealthy people are the people like the Buchanan’s and Jordan Baker who were born into wealth. Their families have had the money for many generations, that’s why their money is designated as “Old Money”. The characters in this novel live for money and were controlled by money. Love and happiness cannot be bought, no matter how much money someone has. Tom and Daisy had been married for a long time and even had a little daughter, but they both still committed adultery by having an affair outside of their marriage. Daisy was having an affair with Gatsby and Tom was having an affair with Myrtle Wilson; “His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular restaurants with her and, leaving her at a table, sauntered about charring with whomsoever he knew. Though I was curious to see her I had no desire to meet her-but I did. I went up to New York with Tom on the train one afternoon and when we stopped by the ash heaps he jumped to his feet and taking hold of my elbow literally forced me from the car. “We’re getting off!’ he insisted. ‘I want you to meet my girl.’”(Fitzgerald, 28). The Valley of Ashes is the desolate wasteland where the Wilson’s live and the place where people essentially have no money. Daisy and Tom Buchanan were not happy with each other, but could not find happiness with their lovers either. Gatsby was lonesome without being with Daisy. Happiness cannot be found or bought with money. Daisy lost her love and respect for Gatsby when she found out that he was a bootlegger. Tom who