The Great Gatsby (Leaving Cert English): Flashcards

Old money, new money, no money

Inherited wealth, no ostentatious displays, e.g. Buchanans

Gatsby - self-made, lavish displays, lacks social refinement

Working class like Wilsons, unable to access American Dream

Materialism essential for winning love & desire

Purity, elegance, aristocratic wealth, East Egg lifestyle

Glamour, wealth, false perfection, superficiality

'Golden girl' - beauty & wealth interchangeable

'Voice ear follows...singing compulsion' - enchants like siren

Misguided attempt to appear upper-class, highlights new money

Identifies Gatsby as new money, not truly Oxford upper-class

Unbridgeable class barrier between new money & old money

East Egg's lack of respect for those climbing social hierarchy

Artificial upward mobility, imitating East Egg dress codes

Illusory - class barriers prevent genuine advancement