Part 2--Jessie (Qi) Rao--The Class Division in American dream

Myrtle Wilson lived in the “⛆⛆valley of ashes”⛆⛆, which directly shows her division with the upper class, people who lived in New York City or West/East egg🏠🏠. She represented the destitute people👥 who desired to become upper class through various means. Money and wealth💎💎💎completely controlled her behaviours and personalities, so material demands👗👠 were her only motivation and meaning of life. Her unrealistic imagination 💭of being loved by Tom 💖and getting rid of poverty made her prideful and stagy, which seems ridiculous to the old money. Myrtle believed that her physical body 👙and dependence on Tom can totally shift her social status.

Jay Gatsby, or just call him James Gatz, from the beginning of his changing his name, Gatsby was no longer himself anymore, instead, he pretended to be his 💭💭illusion who is successful and wealthy👑👑💳enough to pursue Daisy. After he came back from wars, he lost his happiness and expectations of life so that Daisy became his only motivation📍📍📍 to act like an old-money because of their precious memories left. However, although he really tried to behave like old money and spent a huge amount of money 💰💰💰💰💰on gaining reputation and raising his status, he still was not able to buy the past common memories📦 of the old money. It means that even though he was as rich as the people like Tom and reached the same material level, it was unattainable for him to reach the spiritual level☁☁☁ as Daisy and Tom.

The American dream is an unrealistic lie because the social resources are so restricted that not everyone is able to access to a higher status, which eventually leads to the class the division being exacerbated and solidified.

In ‘Great Gatsby’, Myrtle Wilson has no choice but to use her body to connect to upper classes because she was just the wife of a repairman🔨🔨 and lived in the “valley of ashes”. The resources in her level cannot afford her to be 👢👢👢decent enough to fit the old money.

“A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity-except his wife.”

“Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume sometime before, and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-coloured chiffon……The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur.” 

Although George tried his best to provide the best material conditions🎁🎁🎁 for her, she still needed Tom’s money to make herself more like a wealthy and successful woman. Money is the decisive factor for people to leave poor levels, but George’s repair store will never meet the requirement. 

Also, Myrtle’s lack of manners is another reason why she would never be unaccepted🚫🚫 🚫by the rich.

“I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai-” 

I suppose that these unchangeable behaviours that were caused by her uneducated social background📚❌. Her ignorance of the ways of upper classes behave and her unrealistic illusion of marriage to Tom led to her impossibility of fulfilling her American dream👑. Her situation shows the solidification of class division that will constantly exist in American society

Similar fate is also happened on Jay Gatsby, there was no entrance for him to fit in with the old money. Although he was well-known and wealthy, he cannot fully participate in the old money’s discussion, which is shown when they talked about “Biloxi”. “Gatsby’s foot beat a short, restless tattoo and Tom eyed him suddenly.” His isolation represents that some information can never be exchanged by money💲 or status,👑 which is also a kind of resource limitation📃📃📃 in the American dream. This restriction completely prevented him from joining in the old money so that the class division is impossible to be eliminated. If Jay Gatsby, a man who may be richer than every old money, does not have the ability to make the American dream come true, who else can do that? 💦💦💦

Based on Myrtle and Gatsby’s experience, I believe that no matter what status you are in, the limited social resources are the unavoidable barriers for people to break class division and achieve the American dream.👎👎👎

No matter what approaches 📌they used to pursue the American dream, both of Myrtle and Gatsby were failed to satisfy their desire for upper classes. Although Gatsby seemingly established an intimate relationship💕💕💕 with Daisy, also, Myrtle enjoyed the “love”💗💗💗 from Tom, they finally went back to the original status.💨💨💨

🌟The society needs to change!!!

Their claim of the possibility of the American dream is totally irresponsible. When society loses the capability to provide and distribute the social resources equally, they should be honest with the citizens and figure out fresh approaches to improve people’s living standards, which may stop Gatsby from participating in organized crime💊💊💊. In addition, the American dream that advocates pursuing material comforts are also ridiculous. Myrtle just easily shifted her personality and behaviours according to the clothes she wore. 👸👗👗This idea misleads people to believe that money is solutions for everything so that wealthy and enjoyable lives are more important than any other thing in the world, such as relationships, freedom and morality.

Compared to the story of “Great Gatsby” to the market economy, both of their lives reveal the monopoly of upper classes. 📊In order to maintain the interests and operations of the companies💰💱, some famous enterprises attract most of the people in the society so that other new businesses do not have opportunities to survive at all.💀💀💀 The same as Myrtle, wealthy people control a large percentage of assets in the market💰💰💰, so Myrtle did not have chances to succeed in his husband’s business, which cause her failure in pursuit of the American dream.
Also, Gatsby failed to join in the old money because the information and interpersonal connection are blocked 📋📋📋in their level, which leads the old money to be the only upper class that is unattainable for anybody. 🔐🔐🔐
In conclusion, the monopoly of higher classes leads to a shortage of social resources, which eventually exacerbates and solidifies class division. 😔😔😔

That is the lie of the American dream!!!!!!!!!!

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥


Jessie will make comments on Edward's part 1.