"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the first sub-theme, which concerns the socioeconomic status of people in the East and West Egg societies, as evidenced in the illustration of the wealthy and rich lifestyle of the Eastern Egg society and the 'new money' or newly found wealth (nouveau riche society) of the Western Egg society. The author relates that the second sub-theme touches on the cultural differences between the East and West Egg communities, as presented by the rich and lavish lifestyle of Tom and Daisy and the kitschy and flamboyant display of wealth shown in Gatsby's parties every Friday. The paper concludes that the last sub-theme is represented by the use of symbolism; wherein, Fitzgerald's characters serve as symbols representing the 'character' of the East Egg and West Egg societies.

From the Paper:

"In "The Great Gatsby," Tom and Daisy's lifestyle greatly contrasts the majority of households located in the West Egg. In Chapter 1, Nick explicitly expresses the social inequality existing between the East and West Egg in describing the physical and cultural features of the society: "I lived at West Egg, the--well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them." Nick's description of the East Egg is also evidence how this region represents the affluence and wealth of the American society. The East Egg is characterized as the "old moneyed sophistication" and the West Egg as "new moneyed aggressiveness". Although the latter's character shows a positive portrayal of a socially mobile society, that is, a society that provides opportunities for everyone, this occurrence is definitely not agreed upon by the East Egg inhabitants, who treat West Egg "contemptuously," just like Nick's description of Miss Baker's comment when she learned that the narrator resides in the West Egg region. Thus, in this sub-theme, social conflict is expressed by assessing the socio-economic status of individuals through the places that they live in, which, in the novel's case, is portrayed by the conflict between East and West Egg regions."

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