Looking Classy

 “You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad things that happened to me” (Fitzgerald, 66). The Great Gatsby, written by Scott Fitzgerald, is not the kind of book that typically comes up in a family relations class. However, its message of new money earned by those who made their own fortune, and old money, made by those who inherited their fortune, is relevant to family structure. Along with its message on adjusting to a new class. Through the description of the American class system.

The class system is rarely talked about in American daily life, yet it still exists. We took a deep dive into the class system in America during Tuesday's class. The points that were made and my studying before class play perfectly into the story of The Great Gatsby so well. Through the studying and research that I've done. I've seen that there is a divide within the family when it comes to truly being part of the upper class.

The mother and father are somewhat separated from each other emotionally. They are also distant from their children, leaving them to be raised by a nanny most of the time. This divide in the family is shown in The Great Gatsby perfectly. This causes all members of the family to seek love and affection from members outside the family, because of a lack of love from the family, causing even more damage to the family.

Problems regarding an individual class don't just affect those living in New York, or Hollywood, like in the book, it's an issue that affects all of us. In the video" Tammy's Story" we see that. The effect of class impacts everyone, regardless of gender, race, or age. We can also see this in the form of the Mexican imagination too America.

Those Mexicans who come to the United States in search of a better life, often find themselves thrown into the lower class. This can be caused by many reasons, including not knowing the language, no business certifications, and difficulty adjusting to the culture of the United States.

My professor shared the story of a Mexican immigrant that he knew in California. This Lady was a fairly successful lawyer in Mexico. When she came to the United States, the job that she could get was a job at a restaurant bringing chips out to people. This devastated her emotionally, going from a prominent member of society to someone whom society regarded as replaceable. Why would millions of Latin American people leave their social standing, support of family, and social comfortability in favor of a new alien-like world?

For many Latin American individuals and many immigrants to the United States, the move is about providing a better life for their kids, not themselves. This is proven in the article and study "The Cost of Getting Ahead" written and conducted by Martica L. Bacallao and Paul R. Smokowski. One interview revealed that one mother hated her new life in America, but she was doing this for her kids.

Through this study, we learn that most of the time the father leaves to go work in America for anywhere from a year to three plus years. During this time, the family dynamic evolves due to a member leaving the family, as proven in my other sources and blogs. This affects all the members of the family in every way. In all cases, the children grow closer to the mother and other supporting family, well they grow more distant from their father. During the crossing to the United States, many die due to hazards of the environment, and many women and girls are raped by those taking them to America. When a family reunites, the family has to go through some major adjustments which can take a lifetime and cause a lot of damage to individuals in the family.

There are benefits and drawbacks to immigration and staying in your native country, just like there are to everything in life. There are many drawbacks and benefits to working your way up the class system as well. Let me ask you this question to end this blog. Is it worth it? There are more resources posted in my resources blog. Use them to make an informed decision, and then commit to your decision.