Shallowness of the Upper Class

The events that transpire in The Great Gatsby express Fitzgerald’s belief that the wealth of the upper class has rendered them hollow and amoral, consumed with the shallow pursuit of pleasure.

Gatsby's party

This shallowness is demonstrated most clearly at Gatsby’s parties. Various residents of East Egg and West Egg, many of whom were not even invited, take part in these parties. Once at Gatsby’s house, they proceed to conduct themselves “with the same rules of behavior associated with amusement parks” (Fitzgerald, 41). They get incredibly drunk – one of the partygoers even drives his car into a ditch – and leave the house in a destroyed state. In fact, every Monday, Gatsby must get his servants to “[repair] the ravages of the night before” (Fitzgerald, 39). The drinking and partying at Gatsby’s house is a shallow form of pleasure; it is without fulfillment. Yet, the bourgeoisie still come every week, even when they are not invited, and wreck Gatsby’s house in their search for delight. The behavior of the bourgeoisie very clearly shows their obsessive pursuit of pleasure, to the point of becoming uncaring as to what they destroy along the way.

Being able to differentiate between wine is a
common habitus of the upper class

This hollowness of the upper class can be analyzed through the theories of Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist who was greatly influenced by Marx’s theories. He furthered Marx’s ideas beyond their simple monetary aspects, instead defining several kinds of capital, or wealth, of which the most important are economic capital (financial wealth) and cultural capital (cultural wealth, which can include dress, tastes, and mannerisms) (Blunden, 2004). Bourdieu also defined the term ‘habitus’, which refers to the cultural capital that a person acquires due to their life experiences and upbringing. Those in different classes tend to have different upbringings, and thus different habitus, while those belonging in the same class are often exposed to the same kinds of experiences, and develop similar habitus. In this way, habitus can create class distinctions, as those belonging to different classes have different tastes and respond differently to cultural stimuli.

In The Great Gatsby, the upper class are obsessed with showing their class distinctions and the trappings of their wealth – in other words, their habitus. Tom, for example, buys a string of polo ponies from Lake Forest. Since Nick says that “it [is] hard to realize that a man in [his] generation [is] wealthy enough to do that” (Fitzgerald, 6), the ponies must be from a line of distinction, and so Tom’s acquisition of them is not only a display of wealth, but of cultural capital. This need to demonstrate class is also seen in Daisy, who acts very world-weary and declares that she thinks “everything’s terrible anyhow” (Fitzgerald, 18). Nick feels that she’s insincere, however, and afterwards Daisy smiles “as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom [belong]” (Fitzgerald, 18). Daisy’s air of cynicism and disappointment is clearly just a show, put on in order to demonstrate her sophistication as one of the bourgeoisie.

By concentrating so much on inconsequential activities, however, the bourgeoisie lose sight of their morals and ideals, and it is in this way that their effort at demonstrating their class that hollows them out, leaving them empty and purposeless. This is best showcased with Tom and Daisy, who, prior to coming to East Egg, “spent a year in France for no particular reason, and then drifted here and there unrestfully” (Fitzgerald, 6). The bourgeoisie of The Great Gatsby lack of depth and meaning in their lives, and it is this lack that is portrayed in the theme of the shallowness of the upper class.