Table of ContentsIntroductionInfluence of Social Class in The Great Gatsby: Continuing Popularity and the PastConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionSocial class is a concept that has existed for centuries, simply defined as a division of society based on social and economic status. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story about the difficulty of changing your future and repeating your past. In the novel, the society that makes up New York's social classes is defined as the elites, who are those born into wealth, the nouveau riche, who have only recently acquired wealth, and the working class, who earn their living outside of the jobs they hold. However, many in the novel hide their true identities through appearances. It's easy to just dress up and act sophisticated, but it's not so easy to be accepted into the hierarchy. In The Great Gatsby, repeating the past proves to be an elusive endeavor, as the characters grapple with the complexities of their social class, their appearances, and the underlying realities they face. Many of those born there have generations of money that will always sustain them, while the rest, the nouveau riche and the working class, have money that is worth losing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Influence of Social Class in The Great Gatsby This article will explore how social class can influence or contradict appearances through expectations of popularity and materialistic elements. Being rich and from a high social class comes with the expectation of celebrity status, which influences the way the characters present themselves. Jay Gatsby, one of the main characters in the novel, was part of the nouveau riche class, although he always dreamed of being part of the elite social class. Because Gatsby was not part of the highest social class, he did everything he could to make it seem like he was. He threw extravagant weekly parties at his West Egg mansion. However, one of the main reasons Gatsby threw so many parties was because of the slightest hope that his love interest, Daisy, would come to see her. He wanted each party to please him because, of course, she was considered part of the elite. Even though each of his nights seemed nearly perfect, he constantly worried about what she would think of him and even mentioned to Nick how he felt like "she didn't like it" or "she wasn't having a good time." moment ". » (109). He wanted to make himself more attractive by showing that he was popular and worthy of her love. Gatsby spent his life trying to impress others and gain their approval, but he never really focused on who he was inside: someone looking for love; his life was spent trying to impress others, which was essentially a wasteful life. However, despite the fact that Gatsby was very popular and hundreds of people attended his parties, in reality he rarely had real friends. Gatsby was a well-known person, but very few people actually knew what he looked like. Nick, for example, was Gatsby's neighbor but didn't meet him and didn't know what he looked like until "he was actually invited" to one of his parties and had a casual conversation. find out with Gatsby, where he told her how he "hadn't even seen the host" (41, 47). The rest of the people who., 2004.