11 - Old and New Money cont.

I previously ended my blog last week with a question: why is Gatsby yearning for love with Daisy? Originally, I gave some vague personal thoughts on the answers to the question with limited knowledge of the book.  

After reading the entire book, I can say and further expand on the original concept of last week’s blog, as Gatsby is a representation of the upper middle class who chooses to try to ascend into the upper classes. Gatsby sees Daisy as an opportunity to advance his status by marrying into the rich, often at the expense of the poor, which led to his early demise. By being in love with Daisy, he seemingly excuses the death of Myrtle Wilson by stating “I tried to make her stop, but she couldn’t, so I pulled on the emergency brake.” The actions of this led to him being attacked by the poor for siding with the rich, the poor being personified by Mr. Wilson. 

We also see further connections to how the West Egg and new money is seen as shady and illegitimate. Tom noting that Gatsby acquired his wealth by bootlegging and not by legitimate means. The new money of the West Egg is seen as illegitimate as such practices as opposed to the aristocratic and deeply rooted old money, personified by Daisy and Tom. The attempts of the new money being a new order of wealth is seen as a failure in the case of Gatsby, which can go back to the books relation to the modernism movement, in that the new may still fail due to the deep rooted old guard continuing to permeate in society. 

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