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G&G capitalism essay
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Essay on the presentation of capitalism in John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath' and F Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'.
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“Much American literature is concerned with the devastating impacts ofcapitalism on ordinary people.”
In The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath, both writers present capitalism as
having a negative impact on ordinary people because of an imbalance of power
between those with authority and those without any. On one hand, Fitzgerald shows
that the positive effects of capitalism on the wealthy overshadows its strenuous
effects on ordinary people. On the other hand, Steinbeck provides only the side of
the agricultural workers, highlighting capitalism’s effects on ordinary people through
forcing them to disconnect from nature. Writing in 1920s America, Fitzgerald would
have been heavily influenced by the idea of the self-made man through its reliance
on capitalist ideology. However, Steinbeck would have been more influenced by the
effects of the Great Depression and how capitalist ideology thrived during this period
as the only way to keep one’s family afloat was to support this theory.
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents capitalism as having a negative impact on
ordinary people because of an imbalance of power between those with authority and
those without any. Fitzgerald uses his description of the Valley of Ashes to imply that
the deprived area is thriving more than it really is, perhaps as an excuse for the more
fortunate to get around the pressing issue of class divide, which worsened
throughout the early 20th century. during the 1920s there was a pronounced shift in
wealth and income towards the most elite. In addition to the economic divide
exacerbated by capitalism, the social divide was also made worse. Though Tom is
willing to have an affair with Myrtle, he is not willing for anyone to know due to the
impact it would have on both his social and private life. Despite this, he is not willing
to give this up as it provides a sense of freedom that he does not have access to
when in his usual crowds. Even though the more privileged are ‘better off’ in terms of
how their living quality is and how fortunate they are, this is also a commentary on
the way that capitalism and the forced divide it causes can affect both extremes of
the spectrum. The public disregard for the working classes highlights quite how
alienated they are. When referring to Myrtle, Jordan dismisses her as “some
woman”, which emphasises this idea of superiority of the classes within society, and
quite how normalised this would have been for a mid-century reader to see the
extremity of the divide displayed so publicly.
Similarly, in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, he presents capitalism as having a
negative impact on ordinary people because of an imbalance of power between
those with authority and those without any. Steinbeck uses Ma’s position within her
household to show what could be if socialism was carried out, hence why the
government camps were also used as a portrayal of how successful a socialist
society must be. The government camp having the women’s committee as key
figures within their ‘society’ helps to add to Steinbeck’s theory of a socialist society
being a more positive and successful future for America, as having such prominent
female figures leading a community that’s working much better than the wider
American society. In addition to the government camp highlighting the success of
socialism, it also enhances the idea of the devastating impacts of capitalism. The
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