The Eggs

In chapter 6 the differences between the East and West Eggs become even more obvious when Gatsby and Tom meet. The West Egg is populated mostly by individuals stuck in tradition who have come from a long line of wealth and who uphold the strictest social conventions, or at least appear to. The East Egg is more of a mystery and has a more light hearted feel as a culture compared to the West. Nobody is entirely sure where Gatsby earned his wealth but being one of the most prominent East Eggers he makes the most of it. Although East Eggers lack the 'class' of those on the West Egg they have an ability to live life to the fullest and laugh in the face of social conventions. West Egg seems to be almost fake in the sense that there is a kind of show put on where its residents act to only do the right thing in the eye of society, but in reality they end up doing what ever they like. The true difference between the two comes down to the fact that the West Eggers can not admit that they are not the socially responsible (cheating on spouses) high class residents they try to be, while East Eggers admit that achieving what they want in life might not be viewed as acceptable by society.

Two "Eggs"

From the beginning of The Great Gatsby there have been references to how West Egg and East Egg differ. We know the two “eggs” rarely interact with each other therefore leading the reader to believe they have two completely different life-styles. In chapter VI this assumption is proved true when Daisy and Tom attend Gatsby’s party. The party shows the reader that people from East Egg are more close minded and like to stick to traditions, while those from West Egg are easier going and more open minded.

The reader can truly see the differences in life styles and personalities between East and West Egg when Nick narrates, “But the rest offended her- and inarguably, because it wasn’t a gesture, but an emotion. She was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented ‘place’…she saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand.” At this point the reader realizes it may not just be an argument of new money or old money, but something deeper in the philosophy of life and how people should behave. These are my conclusions from this chapter, but my question is, are there any other deeply rooted conflicts between East and West Egg, that are not based on money or wealth?