What Is West Egg Like In The Great Gatsby

The Long Island has symbolized the division of the upper classes. It is divided into two areas known as the West Egg and the East Egg, the courtesy bay in between acts as a barrier that separated the two Eggs. Although both Eggs are identical in shapes and area and they both inhabited by upper classes, the two community have different values and had been separated into two communities.

Brayden Mellon Ms. Leimenstoll Lit and Lang 10 Honors 10 May 2024 How East and West Eggs Cracked In The Great Gatsby, written by Scott Fitzgerald, the East Egg and West Egg represent social class in the 1920s on Long Island. The author uses the contrast of the two neighborhoods to differentiate between the old money of the East Egg and the new money of the West Egg, and how these two neighborhoods correlate to wealth and social status. In The Great Gatsby, the East Egg symbolizes old money and inheritance. Residents from the West Egg do not respect the East Egg residents as much as Nick Carraway states, “They’re a rotten crowd! I shouted across the lawn.

First, the status of the families is one way to show the contrast between the Valley of Ashes, East Egg, and West Egg. The families of East Egg are wealthier than those of West Egg and the Valley of Ashes. East and West Egg symbolize wealth and high status. The Buchanan’s wealth and status are shown by the fact that they have an expensive house and car,

‘ "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone," he told me, "just remember the advantages that you 've had..." In consequence I 'm inclined to reserve all judgments.’

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses West Egg and East Egg as a symbol for class systems to reveal the differences between the two social classes. The difference between the two social classes are vast. East Egg refers to whom came into wealth. West Egg refers to whom carried down wealth from traditional upper-class families. During the 20th century, East Egg residents were more prestigious. “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you had (Fitzgerald 1).” Many wealthy people were born into wealth. Some wealthy are born poor but had to earn their way up. “And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool(Fitzgerald 30).” Women who were housewives in the 1920s didn’t get as much respect as Men did (BBC 7). “An Oxford man!” He was incredulous. “Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit (Fitzgerald 110).”

[OPENING STATEMENT] The Great Gatsby does not clearly yield to either poem or prose causing it to be considered as a lyrical novel rather than the more common narrative. Poetic devices and techniques used by author F. Scott Fitzgerald are more commonly seen with poetry. Yet it is these techniques that give meaning to his work of fiction; how Fitzgerald states his ideas becomes more important than the ideas themselves. Poetic devices he uses are called litotes, which express a positive statement by using its opposite negatives. To say “the ice cream was not bad” would be an intentional understatement, when instead one could say the ice cream was “good.” Litotes are used for irony, which is “using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.”1 Also commonly found throughout the novel, litotes are used for emphatic effect to benefit setting, plot, and character development.

The green light is a significant symbol closely associated with Gatsby’s dream. Readers are first introduced to the green light near the very beginning of the novel; it is located at the end of Daisy’s dock. Nick, the narrator of the novel, sees Gatsby peculiarly reaching out towards the water, so curiously, Nick goes to further observe what Gatsby is looking at and he sees "...nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock" (25). The green light is a representation of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for his future. Gatsby’s reaching for the light represents his struggle to reach his goal, regaining Daisy as his companion. Gatsby’s mission to win Daisy becomes broadly associated with the American Dream. As long as long as Gatsby continues admiring the green light his hopes and dreams will continue to exist. As the novel progresses Nick discovers more about his neighbor Gatsby. Nick learns that Gatsby bought his particular house because it was the closest he could get to Daisy across the bay. Gatsby’s believes his luxurious mansion and his life style is an essential component to help him fulfill his dream. The symbol of the green light becomes even more distinct when Gatsby decides to show Daisy it. He says, "If it wasn't for the mist we could see your home across the bay... You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock”

Unlike East Egg, West Egg is primarily comprised of new money as exhibited by Jay Gatsby. In contrast to its counterparts, West Egg is gaudy and extravagant, symbolized through the grandiose manor Gatsby occupies. Gatsby’s mansion is described as “a colossal affair by any standard” which he utilizes to throw flamboyant parties in hopes that his longtime love Daisy will attend (5). In this sense, he exploits his wealth to gain Daisy’s affection, judging the relationship by “the measure of response” the house evoked from Daisy’s “well-loved eyes” (91). Gatsby relies on artificial and materialistic means as a foundation for his love. West Egg is also represented as having an inability to conform to societal norms as well as translate social cues. For example,

Both Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are similar in their amount of wealth, but are viewed differently by their community. Tom believes himself to belong to a superior class because he was born into money and in contrast, Gatsby, took part in illegal business dealings to achieve his wealth. Their differences are evident in the location of where they live. East Egg is where people that have been born into money live like Tom, while Jay Gatsby lives in West Egg where people of entrepreneurial success live. “I lived at West Egg, the-well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them…Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water, and the history of the summer really begins on the evening I drove over there to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans.” (Fitzgerald, 5) Tom cheats on Daisy with Myrtle, yet he can’t accept why Daisy would cheat on him with Gatsby since he is of a higher social class than Gatsby, and it would be degrading for Daisy. “‘She’s not leaving me!’ Tom’s words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby. ‘Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger.’” (Fitzgerald, 133) Another difference between

Killing people is morally wrong and injustice, but what if the killer believed that he was killing for a good purpose. That person would be considered a destructive angel, which is a type of archetype created by Carl Jung. In the great Gatsby different types of archetypes allow readers to see and understand the negative side of characters. Gatsby throughout the novel shows his archetypal lover role.Tom shows how he is the oppressor Daisy throughout the novel shows how she is the sexual temptress.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the West Egg consist of two main characters, Jay Gatsby and Nick Caraway, both who want to obtain the American Dream. The American Dream consists of an aspirer of a lower social class hoping to acquire the utmost wealth to become similar to those of East Egg. Furthermore, East Egg subsists of “old money,” a population of a high social class of people who don’t strive to achieve wealth like the West Eggers. The contrast of the two sides is evident as the characters of West Egg are portrayed as wed to the vitality of the American Dream.

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, provides a dark and pessimistic outlook into the American life style in 1922. Jay Gatsby, an American wealthy social identity, appears to have it all. But wealth, stature and an extravagant lifestyle seems not to be enough for Gatsby; he still yearns for his old idealistic love Daisy. In an ideal world this has the making of a great love story with a happy ending, but Fitzgerald chose to carry the story as a reflection of the American era the book is set in. An era consumed by appearances and excess and overall pursuit of the American dream.

East Egg and West Egg are "identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay ... They are not perfect ovals ... but their physical resemblance must be a source of perpetual wonder to the gulls that fly overhead. To the wingless a more interesting phenomenon is their dissimilarity in every particular except shape and size."(9) In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald creates different worlds, where many different people live amongst each other. The areas of East Egg and West Egg in Long Island find isolation not just geographically, “separated only by a courtesy bay” (9), but more significantly in the way the two societies contrast. Along with East and West Egg, Fitzgerald creates another symbol

Additionally the interior yellow can symbolize gold and lavish objects. Moreover an egg is used as the division of the town East egg and West egg. This precious metal is a social status and signifies wealth. The division of these competing areas separates the newly rich from the historically wealthy families. The narrator Nick, comments that he lives in West Egg, being the,” well the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (Gatsby 5). By saying this, nick expresses the idea of his egg (West Egg) being less fashionable and desirable than the other more prominent side (East Egg). Even though some might not live in the more fashionable part of town you still can achieve the American Dream. Nick and the west side represent those that have actually worked hard and earned their new status. This part of town houses Nick and Gatsby, which do show that if you put in hard work you, can achieve the American dream.

Like East Egg and West Egg, they are both modern and uprising communities of New York. East Egg is where Daisy and Tom live. A place where people that are well educated, have a high status stay. Their origins have also come from the lavish and rich inheritance of American society. This is what is known as ‘Old Money’ people, the kind that defiance the poor. West Egg, is where Nick caraway and Gatsby lives. They are also wealthy people, but with a different background. Jay Gatsby is uneducated, but a rising newcomer in the fireball of wealth. As a comparison to the East Eggers, the west side lacks the polish standards of choice. Although Gatsby is kind hearted in the inside, he will always be an outsider to the high class. Because it wasn’t meant to be, it was a miracle from the roots of where he is from. One of the many themes from this book is presented in the movie from the angles of East Egg and West