Today’s Society in the Great Gatsby

Could you imagine living in a time where racism and wealth affects people's opinion on you? In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader begins to pick up on flaws in that society that relate to today's society. There are many flaws that can be touched on, but I am only going to talk about two of them. One flaw is that only the rich have a say in what goes on. The second flaw is the racism going on. Both The Great Gatsby and today society are flawed in racism and that the rich are the only people that matter.

In The Great Gatsby one of the biggest flaw is that Gatsby portrays from the beginning of the book is that he craves acceptance from the wealthy. He creates a false image of old wealth to gain acceptance from those in West and East egg. Which is when accepted you have to have money. In Gatsby's younger and more vulnerable years his father gave him some advice that he has been turning over in his mind ever since. "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "Just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" (Fitzgerald 1-3).

It is a lot easier to be morally upright when you're not pinching and barely getting by, which makes the immorality of the wealthy even more unforgivable. They have every advantage in the world, and they cannot even be nice people? When you have money you not only get acceptance you also think that you cannot get in trouble or think that people will just take the blame for you. During the book when Daisy and Gatsby were driving, Daisy had hit Myrtle (Tom's mistress) and just drove off without stopping. Once they had gotten back to the house Gatsby had said that he would take the blame for it if they had questioned them. Grantatted he was in love with her even if he was not he probably still would have taken the blame. This does not only happen in the book this also has happened in the real world. A teenager had killed multiple people and was let off without anything and his family was very wealthy. Is this just a coincidence probably not. Last week a Texas judge decided not to send a teenager from a well-off family to prison after he killed four people while driving drunk (New York Times). If anyone else would have killed that many people due to drunk driving they would have been they would a minimum of 93 days in jail.

A large flaw from this book that is even happening in our world today is racism. During this time they didn't think anything less than this and didn't think anything was wrong with this. Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white( Fitzgerald 130). During this moment in time this could have possibly have been the worst thing that could have happened. It is different to be two white people to get married or two black people to get married, but if you want to be disowned by your family or be an outcast to society than you might as well marry someone of a different race. Not only is this a problem for the parents but the kids are going to have a very hard time being accepted because they are mixed. They do not have one prominent race. White people are very arrogant as you can tell through their actions, but this is a whole new level.It's up to us, who are the dominate races will have control of things ( Fitzgerald 13).

As many white people think that they are the dominant race they are wrong and here is why. They is no such thing as a dominant race because everyone is different. If every race was the same there still would be a dominant race because everyone has their strengths and weakness. Young white men smashing windows, overturning cars, and battling police after a big athletic event are revelers, out of control fans. But a group of mostly African American youth who do similar things out of sorrow and rage that a young black man has died in police custody are dangerous thugs.

The Great Gatsby and today's society have many flaws, but the big ones are racism and that the rich are the only people that matter and are not punished for their actions. The wealthy are getting away with their actions and nothing is being done to stop them. Racism is still a big part in today's society and the African American community is being targeted and attacked, maybe not as bad as it used to be but still enough to make an impact.

These topics are still affecting many people today and it needs to be stopped. People are getting away with these actions for too long and nothing is being done to end this. If their actions were to be brought up maybe just maybe something could finally be done. Finally racism could be put to an end and the wealthy would have to deal with the same consequences as everyone else.

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