How has Fitzgerald used setting to emphasize the theme of class distinction in the Great Gatsby?

To show how Fitzgerald emphasizes the theme of class distinction through setting, compare the description of East Egg with that of the Valley of Ashes. East Egg, for example, is described in chapter one as a "fashionable" place that "glittered along the water." The houses here are like "white palaces," and they are home to some of the most successful and wealthy people in the area, like Tom and Daisy Buchanan.

In contrast, Nick visits...

To show how Fitzgerald emphasizes the theme of class distinction through setting, compare the description of East Egg with that of the Valley of Ashes. East Egg, for example, is described in chapter one as a "fashionable" place that "glittered along the water." The houses here are like "white palaces," and they are home to some of the most successful and wealthy people in the area, like Tom and Daisy Buchanan.

In contrast, Nick visits the Valley of Ashes in chapter two, and this setting is completely different. Nick says it is a "desolate area of land," for example, with "grotesque gardens" and a "small, foul river." This place is gray and smoky, with only a few shops on the main street. Unlike the successful millionaires of East Egg, the Valley of Ashes is home to George Wilson, a humble mechanic and car dealer, and his wife, Myrtle.

Through these contrasting descriptions, Fitzgerald shows that two worlds exist in New York. East Egg is home to the wealthiest citizens, as shown by their luxurious houses, while the poorer members of society are forced to live in the deprived and desolate place known as the Valley of Ashes.