'Explore F.Scotts Fitzgeralds presentation of class and wealth in The Great Gatsby and The Diamond as Big as the Ritz\r'

'Wealth and kind associate permeate ofttimes of F. Scott Fitzgeralds ‘The coarse Gatsby and ‘The baseball field as proud-risk as the Ritz. train during the roaring twenties when many slew had newly accumulated mysteriouses afterward the war, both(prenominal) texts seek to explore and blackguard the complexities of richesiness and friendly club. They particularly centering on how far flock whitethorn go to fit into a social break up or protect their fortune. condescension ‘The baseball diamond as gargantuan as the Ritz cosmos set in spite of appearance the head game genre, elements of Fitzgeralds own bearing run as undercurrents without both texts.\r\nFitzgeralds life features severely in the texts, be it finished the pictorial matter of Nick and Gatsby or the underlying references to his own(prenominal) experiences. The experiences of the main protagonists form parallels with Fitzgeralds interactions with the soaked, both at Prince ton and immense Neck and in his descent with Zelda. ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz satirises the exuberant riches experienced by Fitzgerald when visiting a Princeton classmate. ‘The Great Gatsby on the other hand, is to a greater extent reliant on aspects of Fitzgeralds own life which forms the emotional foundation of the novel.\r\nGatsbys relationship with Daisy mirrors Fitzgeralds turbulent relationship with Zelda who much like Daisy, was regarded as being fantastically worldlyistic. Gatsby keister therefore be seen as a seeing Fitzgeralds prosecution of sufficient wealth to support an grim love interest. He does this to the detriment of his artistic integrity which he compromised by writing short stories to stock certificate Zeldas opulent life-style. This is mirrored by Gatsby conciliatory his integrity and private worth by bootlegging and lying about being the ‘son of some wealthy mess in the Middle- westward, in order to satisfy Daisy and hopef ully gain acceptance.\r\nHe fails in both these beas. In integrating elements of his personal life, Fitzgerald may be implying that loving mortal of a different social class comes with compromises and that one may lose surge of who they atomic number 18 in the process. ‘The Great Gatsby by virtue of its representations of wealth and class quite a little be seen as a zip criticism of the American breathing in and Americas compulsion with wealth amidst the hedonistic culture of the 1920s. The American Dream had originally been founded on the thought that anyone, irrespective of their background could achieve anything in the ‘land of opportunity if they manoeuvered hard enough.\r\nFitzgerald however, believed that the American Dream was just an ‘illusion and that it had been corrupted by the of pursuit wealth. He consistently challenged the idea of the attainability of the American Dream in ‘The Great Gatsby. The geographic motifs of eastmost and W est clod embody just how unachievable the American Dream is. This geographical separation may symbolise the hypothetical and literal cleaves betwixt the nouveau riche who reside in West addict and aristocrats of atomic number 99 egg, hence high spoting how they result forever lead separate existences.\r\nThis gives the thought of the American Dream being highly flawed, as having acquired striking wealth does not translate into acceptance for the people of West bullock block, who are seen as the social subordinates of the aristocrats of East freak. This is advertize established by the demeanor of the guests at Gatsbys party. The people of West Egg lack the refinement, grace and manners of their dispirited counterparts for whom these traits form the rudiments of their social class. This consequently demonstrates how East and West Egg are separated by more than geographical distance barely alike by simple things such as social etiquette and fashion choices.\r\nJordans party (who consist of pest East Eggers) are ‘spread almost a table on the foreign of the garden ‘carefully on guard, emphasising that even within the intimate confines of the party the divide is still apparent and the people of East Egg are reluctant to mix. The decadency of the American Dream is further explored through the main protagonists initial amazement and enthrall (early on in the text) at the great wealth they encounter. Fitzgerald employs a myriad of symbolisms, metaphors and similes to draw the sheer luxury and over ebullience of the aristocrats within both texts.\r\nThrough these devices he is able to satirise the textileistic creation the aristocrats inhabit, making it appear outlandish. In ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz toilette Unger, a boy from Hades with ‘ hardscrabble standards of living is ‘amused and delighted, by the luxurious lifestyle Percy and his family lead. When he arrives with Percy they are driven in what Percy dismissively calls a ‘buggy. However, the reader can understand from Johns reaction at the ‘thousand spot tapestries of silk, woven with jewels that the vehicle is far from an mature buggy.\r\nIn this instance Johns amazement may suck been employed to problem Percys dismissive attitude towards wealth as he refers to the luxurious car as ‘ middle-aged junk. Fitzgerald may have used this paradox highlight the hollow constitution of the wealthy, whose lives are fueled by consumerism to the extent that they direct little value to the possessions everyone else would deem as extraordinary. In ‘The Great Gatsby, Nick is also amazed by the wealth he experiences at the Buchanan home. His first interaction with Daisy and Jordon has a daydream like quality to it.\r\nWhen he meets the women they are attired in white, ‘their dresses cockle and fluttering … a short evasion around the house this gives the women an angelic quality which hints at how N ick is initially drawn in by their great wealth. This surreal and dream like quality of wealth is also reflected in ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz with the depiction of the girl who is dressed like ‘Titania. In the play, A midsummer Nights Dream, Titania is the queen of the fairies which Fitzgerald may have used to allude to the magical and orphic qualities of wealth present within both texts.\r\nConversely, the amazement the main protagonists initially showcased in brief dissipates when they discover the corruptive nature of wealth and the wealthy. Despite the people of East Egg possessing an abundance of grace, elegance and taste (that comes with adhering to the norms of aristocratic society) they lack compassion. The East Eggers are presented as little more than bullies who use their currency to alleviate any concerns they have, irrespective of who they loss in the process.\r\nThis morally corrupt nature of the rich is explored through the Buchanans in ‘Th e Great Gatsby and the Washingtons in ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz. The Buchanans are presented as ‘ sloppy people who ‘smash[ed] things up only to retreat back into ‘their extensive carelessness. Their lack of moral fiber is further emphasised when instead of attending Gatsbys funeral they question into a house far away. Fitzgerald may have used the Buchanans as a moral didactic for the readers to illustrate how wealth can corrupt when one allows themself to bring to pass consumed by it.\r\nOn the other hand, it could represent the unfair nature of capitalistic societies whereby the wealthy upper-class can afford to assume for peace of mind. This conflicts with Gatsby whom despite accumulating his wealth through criminality is kind and loving, keeping gather in outside Daisys window to insure tomcat does not hurt her, consequently illustrating that wealth alone does not corrupt but when coupled with high social circumstance it can have disastrous effects. Moreover, in both texts religion (which is supposed to tone ones moral compass) has been replaced by consumerism.\r\nAtrocious things are carried out in the name of wealth in the texts, including murder and imprisonment. These things are compose off as a raw(a) pre-requisite of success and expansion. Here Fitzgerald argues that wealth can be its own prison egregious its pursuers, dehumanizing them to the extent that they devalue human life and assume that everyone can be bought. Fitzgerald satirizes the erroneous nature of the rich when Mr. Washington tries ‘ religious offering a bribe to God with a part immersed in ‘inextinguishable pride.\r\nRoss Posnock, a red ink writer, praised Fitzgerald in his essay ‘A clean World, Material Without Being real for his presentation of the capitalist society in ‘The Great Gatsby1. Posnock believed that Fitzgerald had captured the capitalist societys obsession with material wealth and how it leads to people being regarded as little more than object that can be acquired on with capital in order to get ahead ones social status. Gatsbys vast wardrobe is a ‘heavy defensive wall consisting of ‘thick silk and ‘ pricy dye which support the redness view of material possessions providing a barrier against hardship which the rich can hide behind.\r\nFor Gatsby, and many others, material possessions help to protect their status in the same way the ‘invisible cloak of Gatsbys forces uniform had hidden his lower class status when he first met Daisy. In general, the ban portrayal of consumerism in his work has made him very popular with Marxist writers. In conclusion, Fitzgerald uses ‘The Great Gatsby and ‘The Diamond as Big as Ritz to highlight the negative elements of wealth and class, whilst particularly emphasising that class roles go forth never be crossed.\r\nBoth texts highlight the potential hazards of capitalist societies when one becomes consumed by materialism, placing greater importance on monetary fortune and status than the consequences of their actions. Although Fitzgerald presents both wealth and class in negative lights he reminds the reader that wealth alone does not give way to moral depravation hinting that it is wealth in conjunction with high social class that leads to the decaying of ones moral compass.\r\n'