The Great Gatsby | Critique of American Upper Class Values

This essay examines the upper class myths of lineage, institutional education, manners,
and wealth. Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby’s central conflict between Tom Buchanan
and Jay Gatsby to illustrate his critique of American upper class values.

The Great Gatsby is known as the quintessential novel of the Jazz age. It accurately
portrays the lifestyle of the rich during the booming 1920s. Readers live vicariously
through the lavish parties and on the elegant estates. Romantics relate to Gatsby’s
unrelenting commitment to Daisy, the love of his life. But beneath all the decadence and
romance, The Great Gatsby is a severe criticism of American upper class values.

Fitzgerald uses the book’s central conflict between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby to
illustrate his critique. Tom is the incarnation of the upper class, Gatsby the nouveau
riche. The contrast between them demonstrates the differences between the values of
their respective classes. In this essay we will examine the upper class myths of lineage,
institutional education, manners, and wealth. One by one, Fitzgerald strips away the
illusion of superiority to reveal the ugly truth behind the glittering façade of the rich.

Myth #1: The Importance of Lineage

For the “old” (inherited) money crowd, family lineage is often the first, and perhaps most
important, indicator of class rank. This theme runs through the entire novel. Tom’s old
Chicago family is “enormously wealthy.” In fact, “his position” was what attracted Daisy
to him. And he adamantly argues his racial superiority during the opening scene. But his
lineage does not translate into anything worthwhile. The Buchanans never see their
families. The core of their own family, their marriage, is a shambles—Tom cheats and
Daisy’s miserable. And their daughter seems irrelevant to their lives.

Gatsby, one the other hand, is of unknown background. Rumors circulate that he is
related to everyone from the Kaiser to Satan. Eventually we learn that Gatsby comes
from a humble, midwestern family. He grew up poor. Ironically, the Gatsby (or Gatz)
family provides the only examples of familial love. We learn that Gatsby bought his
father a house, and his father cannot hide his emotion, his affection, and his admiration
for his son in the final chapter.

Myth #2: The Importance of Institutional Education

Institutional education—where you go to school—holds an important place in class
structure. Nick points out that he, his father, and Tom Buchanan attended New Haven,
the discreet name for Yale, an institution that ranked with Harvard and Princeton as the
school of the elite. However, Tom’s attendance at one of the nation’s finest universities
does little to develop his “simple mind.” At one point he even admits to being “pretty
dumb.” His crude attempts at intellectualism, for example his “scientific” explanation of
the decline of civilization caused by “The Rise of the Colored Empires,” only serve to
reveal a dangerously thin understanding of the world.
By contrast, Gatsby’s claim to institutional learning is sketchy. Whether or not Gatsby is
a true “Oxford man” recurs throughout the story as a source of controversy. In fact, Tom
considers a major victory Gatsby’s revelation that his affiliation with the prestigious
English school was only temporary. But despite his lack of formal education, we
understand Gatsby to have a focused, intelligent mind. He literally pulls himself up from
poverty to the heights of wealth through discipline and brains.

Myth #3: The Importance of Manners

Savoir faire, knowing what to do, and good manners, are qualities often attributed to the
upper class. In fact, some elitists believe that this is how well-bred people distinguish
themselves from others. Ironically, the most “well-bred” characters in the novel are often
the worst behaved. Tom is the best example. Despite his breeding, he is abrupt,
constantly rude, and even violent. In Chapter 2, he breaks his lover’s nose when she
annoys him—an impolite action even in the most philistine circles.

Here again, manners highlight the difference between the classes. The low-born and self-
made Gatsby is always the perfect gentleman. Even when his rival, Tom, stops by with
his two snooty friends, he maintains his impeccable hosting ethic. And while his manners
may come off as too stiff and formal, he is nonetheless portrayed as kind and considerate
throughout. The narrator, Nick, goes so far as to call his gestures “gorgeous.”

Myth #4: The Importance of Wealth

The fourth myth associated with the upper class involves the preeminence of wealth.
Fitzgerald goes to great lengths to describe Tom’s tremendous wealth, his estate, his cars,
his polo ponies. But Tom’s wealth comes off as worthless. He is mean and stingy, and we
never see him share his unearned fortune. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He denies the
impoverished George Wilson one of his extra cars, despite Wilson’s desperate pleas.

On the contrary, the newly rich Gatsby spends his money freely. Stories of Gatsby’s
generosity abound. He provides food, drinks, entertainment, and even shelter to hundreds
of people, even those he did not invite. In one instance, he replaced a guest’s expensive
evening gown that she accidentally tore at one his parties. And unlike Tom, who receives
money from his family, Gatsby generously gives money to his aging father.

By establishing the conflict between Tom and Gatsby, Fitzgerald mirrors the conflict
between the upper and upwardly-aspiring classes in America. Fitzgerald’s
characterizations and the narrator’s commentary criticize the rich throughout the book.
Tom Buchanan, with his lineage, education, breeding and wealth, epitomizes the upper
class. But by the end of the story, we realize that these qualities are empty. In one
sweeping condemnation, Nick proclaims to Gatsby, “They’re a rotten crowd.… You’re
worth the whole bunch put together” (154,; ch. 8). Fitzgerald finally and skillfully
destroys the upper class claim to superiority.

Work Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner Paperback Edition, 2004.