Possessions in the Great Gatsby,

¶ … Possessions in the Great Gatsby," the author discusses the "debilitating effects of money and social class on American society" (210). The characters of Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson are used to demonstrate the impossibility of becoming a card-carrying member of high society without having both money and an esteemed social position. Through their deaths at the hands of Daisy and Tom Buchanan, they also demonstrate the physical dangers inherent in interacting with people who are fiscally above the law.

In 1920's America, there are striking differences between the 'old money' and 'new money' members of the upper class. Gatsby is new money. He has recreated himself from a member of the middle class, even changing his name from Gatz to Gatsby so that he will fit into the upper echelon of society. It becomes quickly evident, however, that Gatsby is lacking in social position. He has wealth but he does not have a pedigree to validate his entry into high society.

Gatsby's extravagance and ostentation demonstrate to everyone that he is an upstart rather than a true member of the leisure class. Donaldson claims, "The trouble is that these possessions, which Gatsby shows off like a peacock his plumage, proclaim him as an arriviste" (207). Gatsby has purchased a relatively new home, unlike the ancestral mansions lived in by the inherited rich. He has filled it with period pieces that were purchased more as an act of displaying his wealth than because of good taste or quality. When Tom Buchanan first meets Gatsby, he is able to discount him as serious competition for Daisy's interest on the basis of his suit and car, which are so flashy that they give away his middle-class status. Gatsby wants to be a member of society, but he does not have the breeding, the background, or the manners to be considered a member of the upper class.

Myrtle is in a similar situation. Like Gatsby, she is from a lower caste of society. Her plain speech and her lack of experience with casual extravagance brand her as being a pretentious upstart, a woman who would like to be a member of the upper class but does not have the necessary breeding. She and Gatsby are similar in that they are both members of the middle class who have risen to upper class status financially, but they do not qualify as members of the East Egg set because they have new money rather than inherited wealth.

The members of this society that Myrtle and Gatsby both tried so hard to impress, namely the philandering husband Tom Buchanan and his extravagant wife Daisy, had little personal regard for either of them; so little, in fact, that Daisy ran over Myrtle and blamed her death on Gatsby, who was later shot to death. As members of the financially elite, there would be no justice; as Donaldson states, "The message in all these cases would seem to be that if you have the right background, you can get away with murder" (197).