There are four major settings in the novel: East Egg, West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, New York City. East Egg represents ‘old money’ people who obtained their fortune through inheritance, high society. West Egg represents ‘new money’ the people who worked hard to obtain their money, new to their riches they have yet to gain the social graces of the inhabitants of East Egg, often looked down upon by East Eggers. The Valley of Ashes, where all of New York dumps their ash waste, is where the poor live and is characterized for its depressing, gloomy feeling. NYC was a place inhabited by colorful and bizarre people. Lavish parties and affairs happened, along with mass bootlegging. NYC was shown as a corrupt place that emphasized the mood of the novel. The setting proposed the theme of social status and showed the effects of the American dream.
