Sunday, March 30, 2014

Old Money, New Money, and Everybody Else

As we have began to read The Great Gatsby we have came across the theme of social classes. But more specifically we have been introduced to the higher class, which also has divisions in it. The idea of old money and new money comes into place. Old money gives the idea that you are rich because of inheritance, the money is passed down through generations. Instead new money is something earned to make you rich, but in the long run will turn into old money.

Old money seems to have a resentment towards new money, that old money is better. Old money does not like this idea of new comers to their group. Old money feels to be the veterans and now all of a sudden this new person is rich and they think they can be apart of the group. This reminds me of high school, more like the movie Mean Girls. When Katie wanted to be apart of the Plastics Regina, the leader,was starting to be upset because of her rise to popularity all of a sudden.  Regina felt Katie  did not deserve the popularity and should be at the bottom as everyone else. Also I get this feeling with upper class men and lower class men. Here a Whitney Young during pep rallies upper class men make it their priority to distinguish where each grade should go and no one else besides seniors can sit in the middle. With these higher groups they feel they have this entitlement because they have been there longer, but in the long run everyone will be in their place: new money will turn old and lower class men will get older.

As with everyone else, you fit in where you get in. In The Great Gatsby since they cannot have the riches, they will still be apart of the social life. They are able to attend Gatsby's parties without being rich or apart of this upper class. They go where they are allowed to be.

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