The division of social classes has been a problem since before recorded history. From the revolts against the upper class during the French Revolution to the more recent Occupy Wall Street movements, people are almost always trying to improve their social position. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the clash between social classes in the 1920s, primarily in the West Egg, East Egg, and Valley of Ashes areas, is a central theme of the book; which guides the actions and goals of the characters throughout the novel. West Egg is where the “middle class” lives. The residents are wealthy, but they are much more rowdy than their neighbors in East Egg. They throw loud and eccentric parties and “they conduct themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with amusement parks” (45). Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are both residents of West Egg. Their houses, however, are completely different in terms of size and grandeur. Nick described his house as “. . . an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been neglected, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the comforting proximity of millionaires - all for eighty dollars per month” (9-10). The neighbor, later revealed to be Gatsby, is of a higher class than Nick, even though they live in the same area due to the size of his house and his wealth. The citizens of West Egg, like Nick and Gatsby, do not come from wealthy families. Their “non-pedigree” status prevents them from getting what they want. For example, Daisy gets tired of waiting for Gatsby to return from the war and acquire wealth, and she marries Tom, a very wealthy man with a family history. The people of West Egg are stuck between the poverty they escaped and the status they want to achieve, this... middle of paper ... marriage falls apart because Myrtle wants more out of life than George. was given to him. She despises him, and yet he is too in love with her to see it. Myrtle constantly tries to act like she's upper class: "'I told that boy about the ice cream.' Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the helplessness of the lower classes, 'Those people, you have to follow them all the time'” (36). to raise one's social status. The clash between social classes systematically affects the plot of the novel. It affects each character's interactions and creates many barriers for the characters as they attempt to achieve their goals. central theme, the story would collapse..