West Egg Vs West Egg Research Paper

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Tanner Breslin Mrs. Goodwin Literature of the United States 3/11/24 East Egg vs. West Egg East Egg, situated across the bay from West Egg, is characterized by its grand, sprawling mansions, manicured lawns, and elegant estates. It represents the established old-money elite of American society. The East Egg symbolizes tradition, lineage, and inherited wealth. The people of East Egg often prioritize social class, with individuals like Tom and Daisy Buchanan embodying the essence of East Egg's values. West Egg, in contrast to East Egg, employs completely different core values and symbols. Adjacent to East Egg, West Egg is characterized by its outgoing, newly constructed mansions, extravagant parties, and immense displays of wealth. It is home to the …show more content…
It represents the optimism and ambition of those striving to attain wealth and social status, often through unconventional means. Nick And Jay live here and embody the core values of West Egg. Nick describes West Egg as "the less fashionable of the two”. (I.6) In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, East Egg, unlike West Egg, prioritizes ambition, opportunity, and the belief in the possibility of growing as a community. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby,” two prominent locations, East Egg and West Egg, although similar, serve as contrasting symbols of wealth, social status, and societal values during the 1920s. The residents of East Egg often think less of those of West Egg, an example of this is how Tom describes everyone from West Egg as “a bootlegger”(I.4). This negative description of the other town shows how highly those of East Egg think of themselves compared to West Egg. When asked about going to West Egg, Tom says, “‘Oh, I'll stay in the East, don't you worry,’ he said, glancing at Daisy and then back at me as if he were alert for something more. I’d be a God Damn fool to live anywhere else’”