Besides the theme of the American dream during the 1920s, another topic explored in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, is the sociology of wealth and how the millionaires or upper class of the 1920s differed from the old aristocracy of the country’s richest families. As said in the previous paragraph, the West Egg represented the newly rich people of the 1920s, whilst the East Egg, along with Tom and Daisy who live there, represent the old aristocracy. Fitzgerald portrays the old aristocracy as stylish, elegant, and charmful. In contrast he describes the newly rich society in the West Egg as vulgar, flashy, lavish, and extravagant, an example being Gatsby who lives in a monstrous huge mansion, wear pink suits, and who drives around in a Rolls Royce. With this information derived from Fitzgerald’s text, we can confidently say that the setting of The Great Gatsby is an important part of the story, both the time, and place.
Throughout the novel, places and settings emphasize the various aspects of the 1920s American society. The geography plays an important role in the book to express these aspects. The two obvious areas are the areas of East Egg and West Egg, but there are more place with meanings beyond these two areas. The valley of ashes is a place in the book which is mentioned from time to time by Nick. The word ‘ashes’ in the name ‘valley of ashes’ implies the remains of something. The valley of ashes portrays the moral and social decay of America in the 1920s. The mentioning of New York City relates to the not reserved, uninhibited, quest for money and pleasure (the American dream) during this time period. Along with these places the East in general in the book portrays the moral decay and cynicism of New York City, whilst the west is related to more traditional social values and ideals.
The setting of The Great Gatsby is very important in the sense that Fitzgerald designed it specifically in correlation with the characters in the novel. Within the novel, Fitzgerald uses for major areas: East Egg, West Egg, The Valley of Ashes, and New York City. Within these main settings, there are sub settings, other major areas in the book. We learn about and see East Egg through what is happening at Daisy’s house. On the other hand in West Egg, we have two characters living there, Nick and Gatsby. The valley of ashes incorporates Wilson’s garage, and Michaelis’s Restaurant. Lastly there is New York City which includes the offices where people work, the apartment of Tom Buchanan which had been rented for Myrtle Wilson, and the Plaza hotel where the final meeting between Tom and Gatsby takes place.
The East Egg is where Tom and Daisy live, and is home to where the society of people who had wealth for a long time live. The population of East Egg are so secure with their money that they don’t need to show it off. Nick lives in West Egg because he can’t afford a house in East Egg. As for Gatsby, he lives in West Egg as he has just gained his wealth and he doesn’t have the social credentials to be accepted into East Egg. His house and his possessions such as his pink suit, are very vulgar and extravagant, that he would be ‘out of place’ if he were in East Egg. The valley of ashes is the area in the book where the poor people live, in contrast with East and West Egg. In another way of stating it, the valley of ashes is where the victims of the rich live’. This is characterised by the name of the place; Ashes suggest the meaning of dust/remains. In a way the valley of ashes is a place where New York City’s ashes are dumped. New York City in the story portrays what America was like in the 1920s, where everything was going on, money was being made, and a time when crime was at a high.
In The Great Gatsby, the use of time and place are very significant. Without the setting as it is, Fitzgerald couldn’t have written a book with the same meanings and themes as it has now. The time of the 1920s is crucial in the book, as this was the time just after World War I, during the time of the American dream, and the new upper class. Along with this the use of places are also important in the book. The use of East and West, two different areas with different lifestyles, along with New York City and The Valley of Ashes, comparing the rich to the poor. With many novels, the setting is just a base for the actual story. With Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby, this is different. Fitzgerald incorporated the setting into the meaning and themes of the book, so that he could create an in-depth story with significance.