Social Class Darrrrling. . .

The social setting is among wealthy, educated people, those with a good deal of leisure time and little concern about people who are not in their social milieu. Nobody’s concerned about politics or spiritual matters – but everybody cares about how they are perceived socially. The social climate demands respectability; it asks people to conform to certain standards. This is one reason why Tom’s flaunting of his mistress is an issue. Organized crime enters the picture through the backdoor with Jay Gatsby. Everybody suspects him, but everybody is willing to partake in his lavish parties anyway.

The two important contrasts is the geographical setting in Great Gatsby. The first is the whole East Egg/West Egg thing, when Nick tells us throughout that East Egg is the wealthier, more elite of the two. Gatsby lives in West Egg, despite his wealth, suggesting that he has not been able to complete his transformation into a member of the social elite. The distance that separates him from Daisy lies across the span of water between their houses – the very distance between West Egg and East Egg.

The second contrast is between the city scenes and the suburban ones. Like Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby commute into the city for their respective lines of work. The women are left behind. This geographical divide is also a gender borderline. But the city is important in other ways, too; Tom only interacts with his mistress in the city, and Gatsby only sees Meyer Wolfsheim there. They both use the city to hide their goings-on from the people they value on Long Island.

I came across this video which is a snippet from the upcoming film being released in May 2013. In this trailer you get a full understanding that in the storyline, the parties Gatsby used to throw were quite ridiculous. Champagne on tap, confetti, fireworks, the music and the dancers. Everything was over the top but still with a touch of class.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXfwqeEBBvU&list=PLD9014B50A062310C