The isolation of different characters throughout the novel is a good example of Marxist theory in The Great Gatsby. Most notably, the narrator, Nick Carraway, is constantly isolated by his rich friends. Nick is always there but never quite part of the action or drama. Nick comments on this, comparing himself to a “casual watcher in the darkening streets … looking up and wondering.” (pg. 36) Even though he is physically at the party, he feels as if he is on the outside looking in. The reason for this is clear given the context of the party. Several times, Nick is singled out or excluded by the upper class people he parties with. At one point, Myrtle refers to him as “that man there” prompting the other party-goers to “[look] at [Nick] accusingly.” (pg. 35) At another party, this time at Gatsby’s, Nick remarks that the cocktail table is “the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone” (pg. 42), which tells the reader of Nick’s feelings of loneliness and isolation.

    The reason Nick is isolated is that he is not of the same social class as those with whom he spends his time. However, money does not necessarily define class. Although he is rich and part of the upper class, Jay Gatsby is incredibly isolated in many different ways. At his own parties, Gatsby stands alone and apart. He hardly socializes with his guests – “no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby’s head for one link” (pg. 50) – choosing instead to isolate himself from his own parties and act solely as a host. This isolation carries on even after Gatsby’s death. Despite all the guests at Gatsby’s parties and all his fame, nobody (save a few) attends his funeral. Gatsby chose to isolate himself in his life, and this lead to his being isolated in death as well.

    So how does isolation relate to the Marxist lens? The fact that Nick is isolated by the rich exposes the values of the upper class. They value only themselves and others like them. Nick is different, and therefore excluded. Gatsby does not socialize with others, so his guests are not interested in him as a man – only as a host of large, expensive parties. The theme of isolation develops the moral values of the upper class, and in turn advances Marxist ideas.