The theme of Power and Privilege in The Great Gatsby.docx

Avril Teo

Page 1

POWER AND PRIVELEDGE The theme of power and privilege is portrayed distinctly in The Great Gatsby, and different social groups are portrayed in highly distinguishable ways. The roles of women VS that of men, in the society at the time, are also clear. The purpose of this is to bring out the main theme in this book, which is that the American dream is unrealistic; you are whom you are born as. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the aristocratic people of old money as arrogant and conceited, in this sense that they think only of themselves. Tom would be an exaggerated embodiment of the supercilious and overbearing manner of the rich. He is not only dominant in his physique, but also in the way that he carries himself and treats those around him. An example of this would be when he lets Gatsby drive home in the same car as Daisy, after he openly confronts them about their relationship. This clearly shows his control over the situation, as he is so confident that Daisy would choose him over Gatsby that he does not mind letting Gatsby get in the same car as her, where he would be in the perfect position to try and change her mind if he wanted to. Tom is also being incredibly cruel to Gatsby here, by tormenting him with the fact that he will never be with Daisy, the girl that he had fabricated an elaborate façade for. Tom only cares about his possessions, which in this case would be Daisy, and this is the only reason why he wants to keep her in control. The fact that he did not care enough to be present at her childbirth proves that he only cares about himself. Those of old money are also careless, and they separate themselves from the destruction that they have behind by retreating into their wealth. After the death of Myrtle, Mr. Wilson, and Gatsby, the Buchanans show no remorse and simply pack up and escape the drama. The upper class, particularly old money, has freedom to both physically and emotionally detach themselves from problems that they have caused, while the lower class is tied down and has no choice but to face the consequences and clean up their mess. New money, though they are considered to be in the upper class with Old money, is portrayed quite differently. Fitzgerald presents Old money as classy and wellmannered people, while those of New money are gaudy, extravagant, and tend to overcompensate for their lack of social connections. Gatsby throws loud, excessively extravagant parties to flaunt his wealth, and may, on the surface, be on the same level as those of old money. But those of Old money see right through him; even someone as insensitive as Tom was able to pick up on it. Case in point, when Jordan mentions that Gatsby is from Oxford, Tom retorts with “Like hell he is, he wears a goddamn pink suit!” This indicates that to truly be part of the upper class, it is not enough to have the wealth, but also to have social graces to compliment it. In order to make the cut, one has to be born with money, like how Tom and Daisy are. Fitzgerald includes all this to show that despite having the wealth, new money will never be accepted by those of old money, as there is still a clear distinction between them.

Avril Teo

Page 2

The lower class is, in stark contrast, portrayed as colourless and insignificant. Something interesting to note would be the description of the servants at Gatsby’s parties. “Floating rounds of cocktails” imply that the servants are invisible, that those of the upper class literally look through them. This clearly shows their limited role in society, and that they are not perceived to be of importance to the upper class. Myrtle tries to mirror this behaviour of trivializing the lower class by looking through her husband, and ordering people around as if she had power over them. Yet her true status still takes center stage, and Fitzgerald makes sure that we know this by including details of how she reads gossip magazines and buys cheap perfume and cold cream, which is something that someone of the upper class would never do. Despite her attempts to jump classes by associating herself with Tom, and acting in a haughty manner, it is clear to us readers that she simply does not belong in the upper class. Women are marginalized within The Great Gatsby. In the context of the novel, women play a small role in society. This notion can be summarized in one sentence spoken by Daisy: “That’s the best the best thing a woman can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’’ Throughout the novel, men hold control over women with the exception of Jordan. Tom and Gatsby controls Daisy, Tom controls Myrtle. They are objects of worship for men; even Gatsby is not so much in love with Daisy as a person, but more with the upper class that she represents. Tom and Gatsby both control Daisy, with Tom offering monetary comforts and a stable future, and Gatsby providing emotional comforts. Tom ultimately has the upper hand and has control over Daisy, knowing that she will choose a stable future with him. As for Myrtle, Tom treats her more like a pet than like person, and only keeps her around for his entertainment and to fulfill his need for control. When Myrtle loudly and repetitively calls out Daisy’s name, Tom slaps her hard to put her in her place. Women, no matter what class they are in, will never have more control than their male counterparts, at least in this book. In conclusion, these social groups are represented in this way to highlight the differences between them, and to enlighten readers in that era who were still stuck in the ‘American Dream’ that no matter what you accomplish, you will always lead the life that you were destined to live. (1003 words) Bibliography: http://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-great-gatsby/themes