Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald seems to illustrate the importance of class and rank in society several ways:
"I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth"
According to the quote, Nick's father has taught Nick to realize his value in society. It seems that he wants Nick to realize that his stand in society is not too low neither is it too high. There are always going to be people above him and below him in terms of rank in society. Therefore, he doesn't have to think that he won't fit in. This is one way Fitzgerald illustrates the importance of class rank.
Another way Fitzgerald tries to emphasize the significance of rank is through the character Gatsby. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is depicted as an extremely wealthy man who is well known in the society. He is known for throwing luxurious and extravagant parties, to one of which Nick was invited to. According to a rumor, he was also known for being a German spy and killing a man:
""Somebody told me that he killed a man once." "It's more that he was a German spy during the war." "You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody's looking at him. I bet he killed a man." "(43).
The author uses the rumor to indicate the importance of Gatsby's rank to show his influence in society as a wealthy man; his wealth is so great that even when he murdered a man, he was able to get away with it and still remain wealthy. To Nick, Gatsby's an interesting man, he seems to examine Gatsby's character more than he does to any others in this novel:
"I saw that I was not alone — fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor’s mansion and was standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars. Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens."(20)
Nick's description of Gatsby here shows that Nick is satisfied that he is finally able to see the "Great Gatsby" that he longed to see all this time. His depiction of Gatsby's figure suggests that Nick perceives him as a heroic figure or a role model figure. However, later Nick notices that he was nervous for some reason and he was looking towards a green light:
"he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness."
The green light was coming from Daisy's house, whom Gatsby loved. I think the green light symbolizes happiness that he can only attain by being with Daisy. Regardless of all the wealth he has, he realizes that he still doesn't have happiness which he can only gain by being with Daisy. Therefore, the green light symbolizes his pursuit of happiness.
Gatsby is a character that Nick pays a lot of attention to in the beginning of the novel and he portrays him as an admirable figure at first:
"He had one of those rare similes with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor..."
This illustrates how Nick admires him upon meeting him at the party. Thus, he decides to help Gatsby meet up with Daisy again. However, will his perception of Gatsby change as the novel progresses still remains a question. Throughout this whole novel, Fitzgerald emphasizes the importance of rank mainly through the character Gatsby.
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