The Great Gatsby

Between each character in The Great Gatsby there are intricate tensions informed by class. So-called “old money” aristocrats like Tom look down upon the perceived gaudiness of “new money” individuals like Gatsby. Industrialization during the Gilded Age (between the 1870s and 1890s) led to massive wealth for people in the Northern and Western USA who grew railroad, oil, coal, steel, or construction companies. Nick’s family pretends that they are “old money,” but their origins trace back to a mid-19th-century hardware store, suggesting they were a tangential part of industrialization. In contrast, families with “old money” inherited their wealth from generations of income brought about by colonial expansion in the USA; relatedly, Tom and Daisy’s house is a “Georgian Colonial mansion” (6), explicitly highlighting this history.

After World War I, there was another economic boom driven by the rise of consumer goods, increased construction, and technological progress. Once again, people who ran these companies gained massive wealth. Thus, characters like Tom (who comes from “old money”) must seek new ways to assert their superiority over equally wealthy men like Gatsby based in something other than money. This is why Tom derides Gatsby’s ostentatiously large mansion, his flashy suits, and his imposing Rolls Royce.