Great Gatsby Final Paper F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby has an epidemic with social class. Throughout this novel the narrator Nick Carroway shows examples of both the old money shunning the new money, and the rich shunning both the poor and the middle class. Jay Gatsby, or James Gatz, was shunned no matter where he sat on the social ladder. In the beginning Gatsby was shunned because he was poor, and in the end he was shunned because he was considered new money. This novel has highlighted that privilege decides hierarchy. Nick Carroway was no exception to the judgment from those with money. Gatsby used his money to convince Nick to do what he wanted, while Tom Buchanan did the exact same thing, throwing his money around to …show more content…
James Gatz, was judged because he was poor. Daisy wouldn’t marry him because he didn’t have money, and was sent back off to war. Daisy played Gatsby like a guitar, giving him enough to leave him wanting more. Gatsby was never good enough in Daisy’s eyes until he had all the wealth he’d acquired, and even then Daisy wasn’t pleased with the way he’d acquired his wealth. Jay Gatsby was judged because he wasn’t born into money. He was considered new money because he had to work for what he earned, and wasn’t born into his money. Gatsby was judged by the old money at his own parties, and definitely by Tom Buchanan who after he finds out of the affair between his wife and Gatsby, judges Gatsby more so than he had before. Tom said this about Gatsby before he found out about the affair. “I didn’t hear it. I imagined it. A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know?”(107). Tom never liked even the idea of Gatsby, and before he even met him he was judging him because he was considered new money. Although Gatsby was a threat to Tom’s perfect fantasy life, Gatsby didn’t deserve to be treated as though his money wasn’t good enough, because he too was