Eggs... (Willie)

East and west. Generally these two entities would be considered opposites, just as light and dark, day and night, and yin and yang are. In the context of The Great Gatsby, however, they are not exactly polarized. In fact, they have more in common with each other than one might imagine.

The East Egg of Long Island contains within it old wealth; residing here are families that have had loads of money for likely centuries. The West Egg, on the other hand, is brand spanking new. While still rich, the money has been obtained through hard work, not inheritance. For example, Jay Gatsby, the shady resident of West Egg who throws parties all the time, has obtained his fortune via building a massive alcohol bootlegging business. However, despite the differences in their methods of obtaining wealth they both have similar attitudes towards their wealth. This is reflected in the ways they both spend their money. The folks in East Egg, while not flashy or party-goers, tend to buy themselves horses, yachts, or other things you may imagine nobility purchasing. These are not cheap items. The West Eggers just as well do not tend to be frugal with their money. They will purchase fancy cars, high fashion, and other things you might associate with the roaring twenties.

To me, this points towards simply a difference in the time these two factions are living in. While the book, of course, takes place in 1922, the East Eggers are still living as if it was 100 years earlier. They are not apt to go along with the new changes in society which the West Eggers are taking in with open arms. However, it is my assertion that if you were to place any of those "Westies" in the environment that the "Easties" are still living in, they would get along great and seem almost identical.