Social Class In The Great Gatsby

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In The Great Gatsby and A Diamond as Big as the Ritz, the themes of both texts can be compared in relation to the presentation of social class. In The Great Gatsby social status is a substantial feature central to the text as it distinguishes the different geographical locations in the novel but more crucially, depicts the mentalities of members of the different social class’ which affects the events that occur and perceptions of many of the characters. The themes of wealth, American capitalism and social status are three specific areas that are hinted at throughout the novel. As stated by Chandler in the critical text “Dwelling In The Text”, “Fitzgerald recasts the most besetting questions of the American cultural conscience- questions of previous …show more content…
The theme of social class is conveyed in The Great Gatsby and A Diamond as Big as the Ritz through the presentation of fantasy and the wealthy in comparison to the working class. In Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby, the extensive nature of Gatsby’s parties is presented in the description, specifically of the food. Nick, the narrator, describes the buffet table as being “garnished with glistening hors d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.” Fitzgerald’s use of a polysyndeton here presents the great extent of Gatsby’s parties and is symbolic of his extreme wealth and higher social class. Another point that can be discussed is the use of the metaphor “spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs”, which echoes the vast number of people in attendance of one of Gatsby’s parties, further portraying his popularity and high social class. As stated by Reynolds in his critical essay “Fitzgerald delineates a new leisured consumerism” , this new level of consumer culture is fundamental to the hyperbolic nature of Gatsby’s parties. The antithesis of Jay Gatsby in the novel is
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