A Detailed Analysis of the Major Theme in The Great Gatsby

This essay provides an analysis of the major theme of social stratification in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, "The Great Gatsby." The paper examines how the author uses the distinction between social classes, primarily based on wealth, to explore the complexities of the American society during the Jazz Age. It discusses characters like Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan to illustrate the impact of wealth and social status on their relationships and aspirations. The essay highlights how Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy is intertwined with his desire to achieve a specific social standing. Furthermore, the essay emphasizes the themes of elitism, the American dream, and the precarious nature of the world, as depicted in the novel. The conclusion reiterates the significance of wealth in shaping the identities and experiences of individuals within the story, showcasing the social divisions that permeate the narrative.

Running head: MAJOR THEME OF THE GREAT GATSBY
Major theme of The Great Gatsby
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MAJOR THEME OF THE GREAT GATSBY
The novel of “The Great Gatsby” was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jensen 2016).
Fitzgerald was a writer of fiction within the United States of America. He is considered to be one
of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His stories attempted to illustrate the excess and
the flamboyance of the Jazz Age of the society. The purpose of this paper is to understand the
major theme as outlined on the novel of “The Great Gatsby”.
Within “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald tried to uphold a number of themes ranging from
justice, greed, power, betrayal and that of the American dream (Keshmiri 2016). However, one
of the major themes which can be noticed within the novel is that of social stratification.
Fitzgerald was able to develop his story while maintaining the distinction between each of the
social groups. This showed that each of the social groups had their own personal problems and
issues to contend with, which left the readers with the reminder that the real world is an
extremely precarious place to live in. (Gross 2017) The distinction amongst the social groups
was based on the extent of financial resources which were available with each of the classes.
This helped the writer to send a strong and powerful message about the elitism that ran
throughout each strata of the society.
The narration of the story began with Nick Carraway. Carraway had a second cousin
named Daisy whom he went to visit. While she lived on the fashionable and more notable side
called East Egg, Carraway was found to reside in West Egg, a more shabby side of the town.
Soon, Carraway found himself to be fascinated by the likes of Jay Gatsby, a reclusive and elusive
man who owned a huge mansion just beside the house of Nick. Nick described him as “If
personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous
about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of
those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away” (Yongping 2019).

2MAJOR THEME OF THE GREAT GATSBY
This characterization set the tone of the theme of wealth in the story. The manner in
which Gatsby managed to accumulate his wealth was unknown to almost everyone living on
either West Egg or East Egg. However, he formed a part of the rich strata of the society and
therefore, was found to hold considerable sway over the common people residing in that place
(Persson 2019). Gatsby was known to organize a lot of events for the benefit of the common
people. Even though they were not well acquainted with him, they turned up for his parties in
order to enjoy the kind of life that they could only dream about experiencing.
Another instance where the wealth of Gatsby was brought to the limelight was with
regard to his love for Daisy. In the book, it was revealed that Gatsby was in love with Daisy for
almost all his life (Books 2016). However, during that time Daisy was a wealthy heiress while
Gatsby had to lie about his social stature in order to win her affection. When he returned from
the war where he was fighting as a soldier, he found that Daisy had already married a wealthy
individual named Tom Buchanan.
Five years afterwards, Gatsby managed to earn a name for himself and set up his mansion
at a place from where he would have a clear view of Daisy. Daisy viewed Gatsby as a distant
memory, only to be forgotten. However, Gatsby was still in love with Daisy. “Gatsby bought that
house so that Daisy would be just across the bay. Then it had not been merely the stars to which
he had aspired on that June night. He came alive to me, delivered suddenly from the womb of his
purposeless splendor” (Books 2016).
This shows that Gatsby believed that his love for Daisy would only prove to be a success
when he belonged to the same social status as that of his woman. This thought process of Gatsby,
the main character of the novel, set the tone of the author.

3MAJOR THEME OF THE GREAT GATSBY
In conclusion, it can be observed that the story about Gatsby aspired to advocate many
different themes to its readers. The issues and the struggles faced by majority of the people living
in the American society was brought to the fore front. The wealth of the people constituted the
main aspect which helped to identify the individuals of the society and differentiate among them.

4MAJOR THEME OF THE GREAT GATSBY
References:
Books, W., 2016. Summary and Analysis of The Great Gatsby: Based on the Book by F. Scott
Fitzgerald. Open Road Media.
Gross, A.S., 2017. 10 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925). Handbook of the American
Novel of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries, 4, p.162.
Jensen, S., 2016. Rugged Individualism in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
Keshmiri, F., 2016. The Disillusionment of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Dreams and Ideals in The Great
Gatsby. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(6), pp.1295-1299.
Persson, H., 2019. A Study of Daisy Buchanan’s influence on Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby.
Yongping, C., 2019. American Dream: The Concrete Embodiment of Symbolism in" The Great
Gatsby.