When discussing the moneyed elite of society, we often do not make differentiations between the groups within the “one-percent.” Evident in The Great Gatsby, this stratification is a driving force of friction between the wealthy. At the turn of the century, individuals from humble origins acquired massive fortunes through a variety of enterprises. Jay Gatsby was a member of this “new money elite.” Even though their fortunes often paralleled those who came from wealthy families, they were often not welcomed by the “old money” elite, men like Tom Buchanan.

The tensions between Jay and Tom, which is caused by this social stratification, is based on historical reality. In the PBS documentary “The Gilded Age,” Caroline Astor, a daughter of “old money” who threw elaborate parties, often publicly feuded with “new money” elites, most notably the Vanderbilt family. As evidenced in The Great Gatsby, “old money” elites perceived themselves to be culturally superior to those of “new money” because their family traditions valued upper-class values and they did not have to work to keep their wealth. They saw “new money” as something morally wrong and corrupt. When Nick asked Tom about where he heard of Gatsby being a “bootlegger,” Tom replied, “I didn’t hear it. I imagined it. A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know.”