Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Great Gatsby Test Question 5

Explain how Fitzgerald uses setting to emphasize the differences between the social classes.

19 comments:

Derek Stemmler said...

The setting of the Great Gatsby is in New York. Fitzgerald uses this setting in his advantage, to emphasize the difference between the social classes. Having the setting in New York is able to do this because people live in different sections of New York, symbolizing their status and wealth. Living West Egg is where the newly rich people live. This is where Gatsby lives, and Fitzgerald portrays these people as being very showy and extravagant. Living in East Egg, like Tom and Daisy Buchanan, represents being upper class since birth and being born into money. Fitzgerald portrays people in East Egg as having taste. Fitzgerald does show how wealthy people are unhappy and having it all does not make you happy.

Anonymous said...

The setting of the story is in New York's burrogh Staten Island. Having the setting here helps differentiate the different social classes because the rich people live in huge houses away from all the normal people.

Dan McCarthy said...

Fitzgerald uses setting in a very interesting way to reveal the very significant differences between social classes. Fitzgerald sets the story in New York which is important because New York itself has many different settings which each embodying different social classes. A major part of the story is set in East egg and and west egg, two very different paces. East egg is the place that represents the rich, the class or people who have been in the the upper class and will be for a long time. The west egg on the other hand represents the up and coming wealth in the setting. The people there are shown as the group that is living their lives with disregard for any consequences. The setting is also in and near New York were there is a cross between poverty and wealth. There is both decay and extravagant affluence. The rich are separate from the poor in the setting to show how far apart the classes are. Fitzgerald arranged the story of the Great Gatsby so it is set in places that define the people who dwell there and show the differences between them.

denisgingras said...

Fitzgerald uses setting to emphazize social class by having Gatsby live next door to Nick. At first when we get there, we find Nick lives in a rich neighborhood but lives in the smallest house on the street by far. As we go farther into the book, Nick invites Gatsby and Daisy over to his house and Gatsby has some things brought over to make it look nice.

Kayla Reynolds said...

The setting of this Novel is in New York. This is a very easy place to show social status because there are so many different parts of New York that are both rich and poor. For example there are parts of cities that are slums and very poor ares, but then there are also parts of cities that are very high class. Just like in the Great Gatsby, there was West Egg and East Egg. Gatsby id newly rich, and lives in West Egg. Daisy and Tom have always been rich and they live in East Egg.

Carolina Veloso said...

Fitzgerald uses the setting as an important role in the novel because Gatsby's house is beautiful and welcoming to anyone. He also tried to impress Daisy with all of his belongings in his mansion. Tom and Daisy also have an amazing house, but on the other hand Nick does not which shows that different parts of New York mean different social classes.

Vanessa Domond said...

in the great gatsby, many setting are used to show the differeneces between certain social classes. For example East egg is more for upper class people. You can tell this from daisy's personality. They all want the finest things in life. In West Egg there are also many wealthy people, but also middle class people as well(Nick). For example when the scence is set at Nicks house when daisy is about to visit, gatsbys shows hios wealth by bringing nice items to impress daisy. This is a clear example of how different social classes differ

larry said...

The setting is important to the novel in a very major way. East egg is full of rich people that have everything they can ever need. The people in east egg can get what they want when they want but they do not need anything special. West egg however has some rich people and some middle class people but at the same time the people in west egg are all looking for something more. Nick wants to earn more money so he has moved to New York but he is also looking for a little excitement in his life. Gatsby Is looking for Daisy. He is rich like the people on East egg but he is looking for somthing just like all the people we know in West Egg.

Olivia Fuller said...

The setting plays an enormous role on many factors throughout the entire novel. New York, during the roaring twenties was the perfect place to show the immense defferences between the social classes. New York was a booming city during the roaring twenties and you were either a somebody or a nobody. Fitzgerald displays that perfectly in the eclectic people that he has in the novel, and the different places in New York that the novel is based from. Like the two Eggs and the Vally of Ashes. They are two completly different places and two completly defferent sets of people live in those places. Yet they are extremly close in proximity. It vividly displays the extreme difference between the classes. It does a good job at showing how there is not much middle class at this time.

Alyssa Sullivan said...

The setting, which is New York, shows the differences in social classes. the rich people live in large mansions in West Egg, but also there are some average homes there too. East Egg represents also being rich, like Tom and Daisy. Although Gatsby is very rich he is newly rich and hasn't been since birth which is why he lives near Nick, who has an average home.

Lisa Russell said...

Fitzgerald usues setting to emphasize the differences between the social classes in many ways. He shows the seperation of classes by where they live. The richer and higher class people who have been rich their entire lives live in East Egg. They inhereit all of their money. In West Egg, people who are rich, but they are the people who earn their money on their own and don't depend on their families for everything that they have.

Ian Conway said...

There are three main locations that separate the different classes. The rich upper-class lives in West Egg, the "newly rich" higher middle class lived in East Egg, and the poor people lived in the valley of ashes. The novel took place right before the Great Depression and life was better than good. The economy was so good that there was a widening gap between the middle class and lower class; this is how Gatsby's magnificent mansion was juxtaposed next to Nick’s modest cottage. West Egg is more lavish because the people who live in West Egg have a more established fortune compared to the newer rich people who populate East Egg. The valley of ashes was a gloomy desert where only the poorest of poor people lived. These three locations determine the social status of the people who live there.

Arianna Miranda said...

The setting of this novel is in New York. The theme of class and wealth is introduced in the setting. Daisy lives in East Egg which is prominent and rich. West Egg has taste and work for the fortunes. Fitzgerald shows that money doesn't make you happy, people do.

Unknown said...

Fitzgerald uses setting to emphasize a few things in the novel. The obvious thing that he is tryin to emphasize is wealth. Most of the settings in the book revolve around wealth. If you compare the setting of Tom's house to Wilson's garage in the valley of ashes, there is an obvious difference in wealth. The other thing that I think that Fitzgerald is trying to emphasize is beauty. He chooses a beautiful setting in West and East Egg New York. I am unsure if those are real places, but he chooses beauty to make the novel mre interesting and relaxing to the reader.

Chuck Barbaro said...

Fitzgerald uses setting to show the difference between social classes in one key way. The valley of ashes separates East and West Egg. East Egg is where all of the rich and proven people live. West Egg shows where the up-and-comers live.

Cam Shepard said...

Fitzgerald uses setting in a great way. He separates the rich and the"up and coming" rich people in East Egg and West Egg respectively. East Eggers have everything and anything they need. People in West Egg earn their money and use in a smart way. The two Eggs are very different but similar in the way that they are very prosperous.

Jared Ravagni said...

Fitzgerald bases this story out of New York. This makes it easy for the reader to differentiate between the 2 main social classes. East Egg is where the "veterans" or people who have been proven wealthy. West Egg is the spot for the younger wanting to work their way to the top.

Josh said...

Fitzgerald is a very good author. In this book he refers to the lower class area of Egg as The Valley of Ashes, meaning the more poor and desolate. He is very good at describing the area to refer to the class. When he describes the house the Gastby lives in you know that it is on a much more promising and prospurous side of Egg.

Sean Keane said...

Fitxgerald uses the setting to his advantage by showing what kinds of people live in what places. For example, Gatsby lives in the West Egg, which is where the Noveau Riche class lives. This is where the peoplke hah to work for their wealth, like Gatsby. The East Egg is where Tom and Daisy live, or where the people who were rich to begin with live. These people inherited their money from their parents. There is also the valley of ashes, wher ethe poor live.