White Privelage

"With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through

half Astoria—only half, for as we twisted among the pillars

of the elevated I heard the familiar ‘jug—jug—SPAT!’ of a

motor cycle, and a frantic policeman rode alongside.

‘All right, old sport,’ called Gatsby. We slowed down.

Taking a white card from his wallet he waved it before the

man’s eyes.

‘Right you are,’ agreed the policeman, tipping his cap.

‘Know you next time, Mr. Gatsby. Excuse ME!’"

I especially liked this passage as I read it since it was a clear indication that Fitzgerald was trying to express the inequalities between classes in this time. The ability for Gatsby to excuse himself from an offense such as speeding shows how he gets special treatment based on his status. This is exemplified to the point where the police officer even puts blame on himself for even disturbing Mr. Gatsby in the first place.  However, this didn't only exist during this time period. Something that had caught my attention in the past was how the persecution of the use of drugs is discriminatory to economic status. If you think about it, drug use is not something that's too severe in places such as Troy. Whether you believe it or not, recreational drug use is pretty common in suburban areas among teenagers and young adults. Unlike lower income areas, wealthier areas face little to no inspection or penalty to the use of these. On the other hand, places such as Compton are victims of relentless police sweeps where the single goal would be to find trouble.
In addition to this, as we talked about in class, the analogy of the quest for speed is apparent in this passage. Gatsby's literal want of more speed as he's speeding is being impeded by the policeman. This is used to represent the desire of the upper class for more wealth that even those who are under them, in this case the policeman, can't stop them from the blinded lust for more. This is also representative of how the gap between the rich and poor is forever widening. Gatsby speeds far past the policeman, which represents the common man. During this time, this was a serious problem in which monopolies were uncontrolled and working conditions for workers were still in-humane. Social injustice between the rich who had more money than they knew what to do with to spend on things such as parties versus the poor who were struggling to get by are apparent. The speeding can also be interpreted as to represent the obsession with technological and lifestyle advances. Things such as washing machines, refrigerators, and several other gadgets were being improved on and invented in order to allow for more comfort, which was a staple of the booming 20's.
In conclusion, Fitzgerald uses this anecdote in order to accentuate the faults of the 1920's through the symbol of speeding and Gatsby's privilege of social class.