Discuss the Author's Presentation of Social Class and Money in Fitzgerald's the Great Gatsby and Charles Dickens's Great Expectations

Discuss the Author's Presentation of Social Class and Money in Fitzgerald's the Great Gatsby and Charles Dickens's Great Expectations

  • Submitted By: funkibex
  • Date Submitted: 04/07/2010 11:33 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 3333
  • Page: 14
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In both novels social class and money is a dominant theme and important to the development of the plot. Great Expectations is about Pip who belongs to the skilled working class who longs for self advancement in education, morals and social class. His character wishes to climb the ladder of society in order to be worthy of Estella as was born into artisan and part of the yeomanry. The title of the book is appropriate as Pip sees himself in the future having great expectations. In The Great Gatsby we see Gatsby, already quite high on the social scale (although he has not always been); he uses his money to impress Daisy. Both main characters plan to use their money to impress the woman they long for.

The only way Gatsby feels he can gain Daisy’s love is via money and social advancement, especially with her been from and ‘old money’ background. Gatsby shows the character Daisy his biggest rooms and his priceless possessions and in particular his finest shirts ‘sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel’ when she visited his mansion. These are significant only because of Daisy’s reaction ‘began to cry stormily’. In this way it was not just seeing Gatsby again which made her happy but all his wealth. One of the reasons she did not wait for him when he went to war was ‘rich girls can’t marry poor boys’. This signifies that even though love should be most important, it is money that really counts to them. Suggesting that Daisy does not love Tom but did what most women from 1920’s America would do, marry for money. This is similar to the part played by Pip in Great Expectations who feels Estella will never love or appreciate him as an underclass. This is why he feels he must be educated to be worthy of her love.

The settings of each novel are related to social class. Dickens creates Pip; his family home is made to be near the marsh country in Kent. For the reader this creates a sense of hard work and labour. Compared to the Great Gatsby the work place is...

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