Essay On The Social Ladder In The Great Gatsby

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Chutes and Ladders: The Movement Through Social classes In “The Great Gatsby” (1925) F. Scott Fitzgerald acquaints the reader with a developing love story that occurred in the early to mid 1920’s, in the nation’s busiest city, New York City, at a time or industrial and social reform. In “Their Eyes Were watching God” (1937) Zora Neale Hurston chronicles the life story of a poor African American girl in the late 30’s throughout a variety of regions; a small town where she and her Grandmother grew up and lived with her first husband, a town where her husband becomes mayor, and the everglades where she and her third husband live. Both these novels are predominantly love stories, with some social class backdrops. The fact that characters dramatically move up and down the social ladder, only…show more content…
Gatsby was recently back from Europe, and had nothing but the clothes on his back when he met a man named Mr. Wolfshiem who offered him lunch and a career selling bonds. This was the beginning of Gatsby’s climb to his high social status from the slums of New York, a very dramatic shift, and to being on par with Daisy, the woman he loves. Janie’s social change was attributed to Jody dying and Janie being left a widow. At this time she was wealthy, but alone, then one day she met a young man named Vergible Woods, though he goes by Tea Cake throughout the story, who was shopping in her store and they fell in love. Their relationship was looked down upon by many townsfolk, and so to get away from their scrutinizing eyes, they ran away to a new town to get married. Janie and Tea Cake were happy with each other and Janie decided to leave her fortune behind to assure Tea Cake she didn’t need him to be successful for them to be happy. Both these Changes were primarily influenced by the characters love of another character, thus leading to a desire for
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