The Great Gatsby
(F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Social Class

Social Class is important to everyone in this novel, even Nick who tries to stay unaffected by his surroundings. The neighborhoods of West Egg and East Egg are separated by a bay, and also by the financial status of the people living in either. The people of West Egg are “new money” while the people of East Egg are snobbier and of old wealth. When Tom finds out that Daisy is having an affair he is not so much upset by the affair as he is with the fact that she is having an affair with someone who is not of the appropriate class. There is some talk of “marrying down” as well, mostly relating to Myrtle and her mechanic husband George.

Love

Love is a complicated concept within this novel because it seems that no one really loves anyone else as much as they love themselves. Gatsby believes that he loves Daisy, but he does not realize, as Nick does, that he only loves the memory he has of Daisy, not who she has become. Daisy feels as though she loves Gatsby, but it becomes increasingly clear that she does not love anyone, she only loves the idea of someone loving her. It is obvious that Tom does not love anyone, but is a total womanizer who simply wants all of the women in his life to be with him exclusively. Even Nick, who is easily the most level-headed of the bunch, only “half-loves” Jordan.

Deceit

The magnitude of lies and deceit in this novel is astounding. There are so many ill-kept secrets and deceptions that it is almost difficult to keep track of them all. All of the couples seem to have toxic relationship filled with disillusions. Tom has had numerous affairs throughout his marriage to Daisy, Daisy does not even try to hide her affair with Gatsby, Tom lets George think that Myrtle is having an affair with Gatsby rather than him, and Nick seems to be skeptical of everything that people tell him, because he knows that their lives revolve around lies and gossip.

Wealth

Wealth is all that really matters to the shallow characters of this novel. Everyone moves to the Eggs or hangs out with people who live in the Eggs either because they are wealthy or because they desperately want to be. Wealth is a symbol of success to Tom and most of the people he associates with and to Gatsby it is a means of being accepted by Daisy. Gatsby decorates his entire grand house in the most expensive things he can find just to impress Daisy, not realizing that if she only cares about his financial status then she does not actually love him at all.

Memory

Memory works in mysterious ways for the characters here. Nick seems to have an impossible time remembering anything from his past. There are several instances where he is reminded of something he heard or experienced before, but he has a hard time recalling exactly what that was. For Gatsby, it seems he is ruled by his memory and the past is all he cares about. He remembers the Daisy he fell in love with years ago, and he assumes that she is the same person he knew then, not willing to accept that she does not love him, she just loves being adored.

Morality

Nick is the only voice of morality in this novel and the only character that seems to have a conscience at all. Gatsby sees no problem with the fact that he told several white lies to get him closer to Daisy, or that he became a bootlegger to make himself financially successful and thereby desirable in Daisy’s eyes. The couples within the novel seem to have no problem cheating on one another, or in the case of Daisy and Tom, causing reckless behaviors and then running away from the aftermath rather than clean the mess up themselves.

Gender Roles

There is a definite double standard when it comes to the actions of men versus the actions of women within the novel though the 1920’s do mark a more liberal time for women. Tom seems to have no problem with his sexual liberalism, and with the fact that he has an affair with a woman below his social class, but when it comes to Daisy’s affair Tom is furious, especially as he finds Gatsby to be below him on the social scale. Possibly because of the changing roles of woman in the 1920’s or because the characters are wealthy, Daisy and Jordan do not fit gender stereotypes as they spend their days gossiping, drinking, and in Jordan’s case golfing.

Education

Education is very important in terms of fitting in with the social scene. There is a great importance placed on where a man received his education. Nick is automatically accepted into the social scene, despite the fact that he lives in West Egg because he is Daisy’s cousin and also because he has an Ivy League education. Gatsby tells people that he attended Oxford, which it is revealed to be not exactly a lie, but is an exaggeration because he only attended for a couple months. Tom is appalled by Gatsby’s lack of elite education to the point that he sees him as a lesser man.

Dissatisfaction

All of the characters in the novel are dissatisfied with their lives in a certain way. Tom and Daisy are obviously not getting what they need from their relationship, which causes them to seek extramarital relationships. Tom seeks the affection of many women while Daisy seeks the adoration of any man will give her the attention she needs. Jordan feels the need to brag about her life, but at the same time cannot help but gossip about the lives of others whom she appears to live vicariously through. Even Nick, who seems grounded in comparison to the others, is dissatisfied to the point that he is trying to find a place where he feels content.

The American Dream

The American Dream is shot down here, as the privileged individuals are exposed as being the most dissatisfied with their lives. Gatsby’s goal throughout his life, as is revealed by his father, is to make something grand of his life and to be financially successful. He achieves this goal by lying his way to the top, though he does it, not for himself but to make Daisy love him. Daisy and Tom are already wealthy, living the American Dream, but they have a broken and abusive marriage which results in quite a bit of drinking and extramarital affairs. The American Dream is clearly not all it is cracked up to be as it results in lies, deceit, and tragedy.