Old vs. New Money

In the “Great Gatsby” the term old vs. new money is brought forth when different sides of towns are marked because of the amount of wealth they produce. Gatsby uses the money that he has on his luxurious mansion and throws parties every weekend. The new money that Gatsby has supposedly gained is from organized crimes and other possible illegal acts. Old money means that you were born into a fortune or inherited it. The old money expressed in the book is the conservative and fashionable crowd in East egg. The larger cities stayed in the East and were given that label. As for the west, they would be the stay on the more conservative side.

During the 1920s when men got back from the war, women were desperate for attention and wanted nothing but love and riches. Many on the East side started wearing short skirts and had shorter hair. This image expressed a less conservative look and drove women to what many labeled as being reckless behavior. The crowd in the East was very materialistic and the old money crowd continued to stay conservative. The way the wealth was gained and the changes in society during the 1920s are what separate new and old money.

Sources:
http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2004/5/15/141559/670
http://www.enotes.com/great-gatsby/q-and-a/look-for-general-information-new-rich-old-rich-65327