Final answer:
The contrast between East Egg and West Egg in 'The Great Gatsby' indicates that the story's conflict will center on wealth and appearances, representing the division of social classes and the importance of status in the 1920s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The contrast created between East Egg and West Egg in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' suggests that the story's conflict will be based on wealth and appearances. This thematic element signifies the societal division and the preoccupation with status symbolized by the two locales.
East Egg represents old money or inherited wealth, associated with sophistication and a more refined way of life, whereas West Egg is home to the nouveau riche, suggesting a level of crassness and a desperate need to fit in. Through Nick Carraway's narrative, Fitzgerald paints a vivid picture of the decadence and moral decay of the 1920s, spotlighting the disparities between the haves and have-nots, and implying that relationships and identities are largely dictated by social status and the pursuit of wealth.
Therefore, the East Egg and West Egg dichotomy sets up the socioeconomic backdrop against which the drama of the novel unfolds, signaling that the characters' interactions and conflicts will likely revolve around these issues of social class and the superficiality of the Jazz Age.