Class and the American Dream

After analyzing the New York Times graphic and reading The Great Gatsby, I have come to the conclusion that being born in a certain class does not mean that one can’t move up or down. This was already evident to me before I read these pieces, but now I have legitimate evidence and text-to-text connections to back up this claim.

In the graphic that we analyzed, there were many questions asked in the poll that significantly backed up this idea of being able to move up (or down) in social class. Forty-five percent of the people polled said their current class now is higher than it was when they were growing up. Forty percent also said that the likelihood of moving up from one social class to another is greater than before as well. About 80% said that it is possible to start out poor, work hard, and become rich. With all of these statistics, there is an overwhelming consistency. The people of America generally believe that social class at birth is not permanent and that one can become wealthy despite previously being poor.

The Great Gatsby also captured these ideas, especially with the character Jay Gatsby. On page 98, Fitzgerald explains, “[Gatsby’s] parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people—his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.” Considering the fact that Gatsby became extremely wealthy and successful, this sentence truly emphasizes that one can dream to outgrow the social class of one’s parents. Furthermore, Gatsby truly put in the hard work to become rich, even though he started out poor. On page 173, Gatsby’s father shows a schedule of Gatsby’s life when he was a child. Even then, Gatsby’s day was filled with working out, working, and studying. He focused on working hard, and because of that, he gained the success that his parents never had.

Jay Gatsby and the graphic from the New York Times both showcase the truth about social classes. One can change status from birth to adulthood, and often hard work is at the heart of this transition. Wealth is not only a privilege reserved for those already experiencing wealth; it is also available to those who are poor and work hard to achieve it. If you think about it, the wealthy couldn’t have always been wealthy—they had to have started off poor at some point as well.