The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

The Great Gatsby Essay F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his classic novel The Great Gatsby, illustrates the American class system in three different categories: the â€Å"old† rich, the â€Å"new† rich, and the â€Å"not† rich. He shows how each class tries to reach the American dream and struggles to remain secure in the life inside America. Fitzgerald depicts the only class that survives is the â€Å"old† rich. In the first place, progressing throughout Fitzgerald’s novel, he derives that Tom Buchanan is inside the class system of â€Å"old† rich, because â€Å"His family were enormously wealthy – even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach – but now he’d left Chicago an come east in a fashion that rather took your breath away† (Fitzgerald 6). Tom and Daisy both shared the â€Å"old† rich lifestyle. Their house together was â€Å"more elaborate† and described as, â€Å"a cheerful red-and-white Georgian colonial mansion, overlooking the bay† (6). Tom Buchanan was born into the â€Å"old† rich class system. With the privilege of having that lifestyle, he will always have money to spend. He does not have to work for his pay, and will never lose it. Tom has the ability to live securely, and use his heritance to run away or hide from his problems. Fitzgerald uses Tom’s character to express the usefulness of obtaining money from one’s family wealth. In introducing Tom, Fitzgerald reveals the importance of wealth in the 1920’s by conveying to his readers that money can buy people out of hard times and can be the solution to variable mishaps. Similarly, Fitzgerald sets forth the image of â€Å"not† rich by creating George and Myrtle Wilson. George and Myrtle are â€Å"not† rich because they live in â€Å"the Valley of Ashes† (23). George Wilson is the owner of a beaten-up car repair shop, and is described as a â€Å"spiritless man† (25). Tom and Nick journeyed to the shop because Tom wanted to see Myrtle. The garage was sort of ‘trashy’ and described by Tom, a â€Å"terrible place† (25). The Wilsons are â€Å"not† rich because they have no other means of bringing in money except from George’s garage. His shop produces an average amount of income, where back in the 1920’s was considered â€Å"not† rich. By the relationships formed throughout the novel, Fitzgerald expresses that being in different classes does not uphold and troublesome relations, and that people can still be together. Fitzgerald shows this when he sets up Tom and Myrtle’s affair. The â€Å"not† rich, according to Fitzgerald, never survives the American Dream. Finally, Jay Gatsby, originally known as James Gatz, is of the social class â€Å"new† rich. Jay Gatsby has not always been rich. As a child, he was â€Å"not† rich and he strived to earn more money as he grew with age. People he associated with, who attend his parties, describe him as a â€Å"bootlegger† (61). A young lady said â€Å"one time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil† (25). With his money, he threw numerous parties. He had orchestras, caterers, lights, everything extravagant and luxurious. Gatsby becomes very wealthy throughout his life, but it is unknown how. Even though Gatsby held luxurious parties, he was never well liked and never received Daisy’s attention. The wealth in Gatsby’s life never made him a happier person and never truly satisfied him. Fitzgerald used Gatsby to symbolize the â€Å"new† rich. The â€Å"new† rich is hard to survive in due to overwhelming amounts of irregular income wealth. It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain that money because it comes untraditionally; the money is also unsecure and is not backed by any type of insurance. Gatsby did not end up surviving in the â€Å"new† rich lifestyle. He finally realizes that ‘money doesn’t buy happiness’. Fitzgerald uses his characters Tom, the Wilsons, and Gatsby in his novel The Great Gatsby to illustrate a detailed image of the American class system. He portrays that the only way to survive the American dream is to have secure wealth backing up one’s life. Even working for one’s earnings. And becoming rich does not guarantee survival, let alone the people who don’t become rich at all. Fitzgerald’s point-of-view concludes that there is on one way to remain in existence†¦ to be born rich.