Essay about The Effects of Class Structure in the 1920s

Class Structures in the 1920’s The emerging inequitable class systems and antagonisms of the nineteen twenties saw the traditional order and moral values challenged, as well as the creation of great wealth for few and poverty for many. The Great Gatsby, written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, explores the causes and effects of the unbalanced class structures. Fitzgerald outlines the idea that the desire to accumulate wealth and status is a common ambition amongst the lower classes; when that desire is reached, the traditional upper class is challenged by the emerging newly wealthy, which finally leads to destructive consequences. By creating rigid class structures, traditional upper class, new wealth, and the poor in The Great Gatsby, it is†¦show more content†¦Gatsby comes from the Platonic conception of Gatz and by comparing Gatsby to Platonic Idealism, the idea of Gatsby becomes immortalized and genuine. Gatsby, representing the lower class desires to alter his status to an unalterable conception, which e pitomizes the new money’s desires. Tom Buchanan, the embodiment of the traditional upper class, is a domineering man who desires only one result, to maintain his status and wealth. Tom obsesses over maintaining a pure, rich class of Caucasians that he believes should never be challenged: â€Å"‘It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out, or these other races will have control†¦this idea is that we’re Nordics. I am, and you are, and you are, and†¦we’ve produced all the things that go to make civilization- oh, science and art, and all that’† (13). The only characters in this excerpt are Tom, Daisy, Nick, and Jordan and they all come from well-regarded families who are prosperous compared to the other characters in the novel. Since Tom only converses with them about their duty to protect civilization, it suggests that they are the class holds a responsibility to maintain its position. Tom is a symbol of the tradition al wealth and he proposes that in order to protect civilization, their traditional wealthy class must be conscious of the threat they are under. These contrasting desires pose a difficult situation for the classes where they mustShow MoreRelatedSelf-Centeredness Illustrated in The Great Gatsby757 Words   |  4 PagesFitzgeraldÂ’s novel, that takes place in Long Island during the 1920Â’s, The Great Gatsby. The book, which takes almost a satirical view of the social and moral problems of the 20Â’s, shows how people who are completely submerged in only their own business are never satisfied. 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