Signature Assignment - Comparison of American Class in Film

The Grapes of Wrath Compared to The Great Gatsby

Abbey Haynes

Film 1070

Instructor: Sarah Lehleitner

4/10/2023

Hollywood has covered all topics. There is a topic in particular that while there

are several films covering the topic, it’s rarely the spotlight due to the controversial

reality that is American social classes. The working class, the middle class, and the

ever-growing upper class. These social classes are growing more divided as time in

late-stage capitalistic America goes on. This essay will compare the livelihoods of the

Joad family, in Grapes of Wrath (1940) and the life of Jay Gatsby, in The Great Gatsby

(2013). Grapes of Wrath is the film we had the opportunity to watch in class. These two

movies were created at vastly different times; Grapes of Wrath was released in 1940

and The Great Gatsby was released in 2013. However, the years they were set in

weren’t far apart. Grapes of Wrath was set in the 1930s - the Great Depression era.

Many people lost all their savings and were working hard just to stay fed. The Great

Gatsby was set in the roaring 1920s. The American economy was strong and the

parties were frivolous.

To compare social classes in film in this essay, we’ll first look at the working

class. Grapes of Wrath (1940) was released to tell the tale of an Oklahoma farming
family (the Joads) down on their luck - a drastic drought named the Great Dust Bowl

wiped out all living vegetation in the area. Life was hard when times were good… Life

gets harder when you have half a dozen mouths to feed without any income and the

government takes your land from you. The perspective of the film comes from Tom

Joad, who is released from prison and comes home to see the home he grew up in

abandoned. He wanders upon a neighbor who explains what’s happening - everyone is

heading west, to California, for work. The government is seizing the land as there is no

money being made. There is nothing left for farmers in Oklahoma. Nowhere else to go,

Tom luckily finds his family all at his uncle’s home, the night before they leave to head

west. He learns they received a flyer looking for 800 workers in California. From who,

they don’t know. Doing what, they don’t know. With no other options and to make up for

lost time, Tom joins them on an overfilled jalopy. The trip didn’t go smoothly. Grandfather

Joad becomes senile and soon passes. They have a small ceremony to say their

goodbyes but do not have the privilege of staying long. As they reach California,

Grandma Joad also passes. This is one example of the lack of privilege people in

poverty experience - the inability to take time to mourn properly. No time to mourn when

you must work to live. There was absolutely no chance they could have had both

Grandma and Grandpa Joad relocated and buried together to rest in peace. They had

to move on.

Soon, they come upon their first camp. Filled to the brim with people waiting to

work, there is no prosperity. The family soon finds out that perhaps thousands of people

received these flyers. Finding out that their one hope, work in California, is vanishing

quickly. They had to continue their journey. At the second camp, the situation was just
as bad. Yes, they were able to find work picking fruit that offered a decent wage.

However, the was only one store in the area, and the prices were jacked up due to

demand and this is the only option. After the second camp, just as destitute, they

stumble upon the last camp of the film. This camp is hosted by the Department of

Agriculture. People have work, their own space, and even working showers!

Did they finally make it? Some happily say yes. It seemed to be the classic

Hollywood happy ending (Benshoff and Griffin). Although, it was due to the government

- rather, some vague authoritative power - that they left Oklahoma in the first place. The

film never fully expresses who it is that kicked them off their own land. Is the

Department of Agriculture really the hero in the film? Did they really help so many

people in poverty? Who’s to say - people in the working class don’t have time to ponder

these questions, the need to get back to work!

On the flip side, The Great Gatsby (2013) is a film that happens to show the easy

life of being upper class. The film is viewed from the perspective of a young man in New

York that is way over his head, Nick Carraway. He is a writer attempting to get into

bonds. He moves to a cottage for the summer. This cottage happens to be right next to

the mansion owned by a young millionaire, Jay Gatsby. The cottage is also across the

bay from Nick’s cousin, Daisy, and her husband Tom. While Nick gets to rub elbows with

Tom and Daisy, he gets to experience Old Money and the privilege that comes along

with it. Tom’s favorite hobby is polo - something far out of reach for the working class to

enjoy. Tom also has a mistress and they enjoy their private apartment together when

Tom wants to get away. The ability to hide an entire apartment from a partner comes

with a privilege many don’t have.

 Jay Gatsby inherited his wealth. New Money means all the fanciest things - the

biggest mansions, fast cars, high-quality clothing, the craziest parties, and so on. He

yearns for the one thing money can’t buy - Daisy. Daisy and Jay met during the war and

fell in love. Jay promised to come back to Daisy with money so that he can offer her the

world. Jay received his inheritance from a man who he saved during a storm while

sailing. Together they sailed for 5 years. Jay was taught then how to be a gentleman.

This is another example of the privileged enjoying something the working class could

never do. While Jay wasn’t born into the upper class, he suddenly became a part of it.

Gatsby can afford anything and everything. He has many butlers and other outsourced

help around the mansion, he never has to lift a finger. During the movie (The Great

Gatsby at 47:30), Jordan (Daisy’s best friend) explains why Gatsby throws these

parties. He throws incredible parties with the hopes to entice one person to come by, his

beloved Daisy.

When Daisy and Jay finally reconnect (thanks to Nick, who has been hanging out

with Jay far more often), the love they felt years previously still feels the same. An affair

begins. Daisy was ready to run away with Jay, however, Jay wanted to depart the

proper way - with Tom and Daisy getting a divorce. This leads to a heated argument

when they are all in the same room having lunch together. In the heat of the moment,

they speed off in separate cars. Conveniently yet, unfortunately, during this anger-fueled

drive, it just so happens that Tom’s mistress was having a fight with her husband (about

her infidelity ironically enough). She ran out to the street when she saw what she

thought was Tom’s car come up quickly. She was struck and killed immediately. We find

out Daisy was driving, so she was the one who had struck and killed Tom’s mistress.
Tom pins all the blame on Jay. Jay is then murdered at his home by the mistress’s

husband. The last example of the privilege of the upper class shown in this movie is

when Daisy, Tom, and their child left New York for an undisclosed location. Their money

can move them far away from their problems and create a new life.

The Great Gatsby is far more sensationalized than The Grapes of Wrath.

Filmmaking has changed a lot from 1940 to 2013. The budgets are bigger, the stars are

bigger, and film school brats have since taken over Hollywood (Benshoff and Griffin).

What hasn’t changed is the social class structure that America has. This essay offered

many examples of the hardships the working class has to endure to get through their

days. The privileged upper class has many opportunities available to them. More

chances for networking, more unique hobbies, lavish homes, the ability to get away with

misdeeds, and so on.

One could ponder what would have happened to Jay Gatsby if he was able to

run away with Daisy and start anew? Would they have made it through the Great

Depression just fine? How badly would they have been affected? Going back to the

Joad family of The Grapes of Wrath, did they fair any better after their migration? Would

they have been able to put down roots in California, permanently? We’ll never know, but

it doesn’t hurt to dream, Old Sport.

 Works Cited

“The Grapes of Wrath (Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Mar. 2023,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath_(film).

“The Great Gatsby (2013 Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Mar. 2023,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby_(2013_film).

Ford, John, director. The Grapes of Wrath. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1940. Accessed 12

Apr. 2023.

Luhrmann, Baz, et al. The Great Gatsby. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2013, Accessed 12

Apr. 2023.

Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class,

Gender and Sexuality at the Movies. Wiley Blackwell, 2021.