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The Hazards of Good Breeding follows a wealthy family in Boston, MA. Jack and Faith Dunlap are divorced, and their kids struggle in an attempt to find themselves and navigate the situation with their parents. An event occurs that comes as a shock to the children, and brings more tension to the already broken family dynamic of the Dunlaps.
-Addy

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Eliot's experiences throughout the book, specifically riding Blacksmith, his mothers old horse, through the woods in hopes of finding Rosita and imagining himself as Paul Revere, exemplifying how “the dream logic behind his escapade becomes a strangely apt device for revealing its thematic topography" (New York Times). Incorporating Elliots imagination when riding Blacksmith showcases the legacy of the Dunlap family, and how their wealth was always a cushion for them to rely on in any situation. Elliot repeats poem lines to himself, a representation of the history that is present within the Dunlaps and their wealth, constantly striving for greatness and power. He repeats to himself "a moment only he feels the spell/ Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread,/ Of lonely belfry and the dead" (248). His mention of the dead while he is leaving his family behind is accredited to Paul Revere, but more specifically an allusion to Eliot not being exposed to the real world and privilege that his family has, and that his motherly figure, Rosita is lacking in.
-Addy

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Theme/Big idea: Privilege in relation to wealth and social class with Lit Crit  

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Theme/Big idea: Privilege in relation to wealth and social class with Lit Crit  

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The Lit Crit touches upon how exactly the Dunlap family is portrayed in the novel in comparison to other characters who are not in the same social class as them, such as Rosita. For example, the Lit Crit argues that "Jessica Shattuck suggests that this apparent stasis is an illusion -- a willful amnesia engineered to shield its practitioners from the fact that the culture that sustains them has already been absorbed by the larger one" (The New York Times). I agree with this because it suggests that the wealthy characters depicted in the book, the Dunlap family, cannot recognize the changes and shifts in the cultural landscape around them. In her afterword, Shattuck says it herself that her book is a story of "people caught between these two worlds {...} people living in an America much larger than the one they were raised to inhabit." The children in the Dunlap family, Caroline, and Eliot, struggle to break out of the increasingly irrelevant social order in which they live in, the social order in which the prominent families with a long history of wealth are at the top. In her book, Shattuck describes them as "fine subjects for Stephans movie … the children of bystanders of the sixties, of parents whose whole generation passed them by while they stood on the sidelines scratching their heads, hampered by their own wealth and good breeding" (Shattuck 105). There is undoubtedly a sense of privilege and entitlements that leaves them disconnected from the realities of the world around them, further underscoring the idea in the Lit Crit that their wealth has left them insulated from the struggles and challenges others face. The wealthy families are seen as the epitome of "breeding" and class. Within this aristocratic world, there is a strong emphasis on maintaining appearances and upholding societal expectations like participating in social events and such. -Ella

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ABOUT JESSICA SHATTUCK

Jessica Shattuck is the author of the novels The Women in the Castle, a New York Times Bestseller and winner of The New England Book Award; Perfect Life; and The Hazards of Good Breeding, which was a New York Times Notable Book, a Boston Globe best book of the year, and a finalist for the 2003 PEN/Winship Award.

Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Glamour, Open City, and The Tampa Review among other publications.

Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Wired, The Believer Magazine, and The Boston Globe.

She lives with her husband and three children in Brookline, MA.

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Jessica Shattuck is the author of the novels The Women in the Castle, a New York Times Bestseller and winner of The New England Book Award; Perfect Life; and The Hazards of Good Breeding, which was a New York Times Notable Book, a Boston Globe best book of the year, and a finalist for the 2003 PEN/Winship Award.

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At the end of the book, the reader finally is able to understand Rositas perspective.  The lit crit we used classified the ending as “a risky move, but it's the one that finally elevates ''The Hazards of Good Breeding'' from a witty and promising first novel to a disturbing indictment of a superannuated subculture” (New York times). I agree with this, as the shift of focus revealed the consequences that Rosita had to face as a result of her endeavors with wealth and power. Shattuck critiques the Boston elite and the culture that they enforce on others by making a Rosita a vulnerable character, one who is forced to leave her son and move away because of the repercussions of involvement with the Dunlap family. Rositas perspective not only reveals the flaws of the American dream, but also allows the reader to understand the lead up to the breaking point, similarly seen in Gatsby. Rosita "does not know how to raise a child in this world, which is as stark and impenetrable as the manicured darkness outside the window" (289-290). We are never exposed to Rosita as a developed character until this last chapter, speaking to her experiences in the closed off, privileged life of the Dunlaps. We learn that there is nothing Rosita could do to overcome the class divide that has been present since she began working for them, and that their world "is too closed to enter even with the right key, too full of unspoken rules and hidden traps for her to ever feel free in it" (290). Overall, the last chapter, as explained in the lit crit, presents the idea that individuals are left in ruins after involving themselves with someone who has isolated their being into a group that uses their wealth and power to get by, destroying the lives of others in the process.

-Addy

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Those who have been through a divorce in the book are seen as outsiders. When Faith is introduced to new people, she is called the "divorcee" (Shattuck 84). The term "divorcee" carries certain societal connotations and may also imply a specific social status or label. In some contexts, there can be negative stereotypes or stigmas associated with being a divorcee. By identifying someone as "the divorcee," the speaker may be indirectly commenting on the person's changed social standing or the challenges they face due to their divorce. Perhaps this divorce is even a source of embarrassment or shame, given this stigma around divorces. -Ella

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Aligning with old values regarding women and their place in society, Shattuck represents the portrayal of women and their "correct" role in society. “you know a nice girl by her body… the less you see of it, the better she is” (159) This demeaning language exemplifies how the speaker is judging women by physical appearance. Also, this narrow viewpoint suggests that women who cover up their bodies are deemed more respectable, which aligns with traditional cultural and societal norms that equate modesty with virtue.
-Addy

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Although we didn't completely agree with this book review, we did agree with the points they made about how Jessica Shattuck writes in-depth characters, and she allows us to understand them through alternating third-person perspectives. These alternating third-person perspectives also allow the reader to understand how everything is not what it seems in the Dunlap household. -Molly

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A loopy, tightly wound WASP family in Concord, Massachusetts, unravels with the introduction of alien elements in a generously portrayed and richly appointed debut.

Harvard graduate Caroline Dunlap has returned to her austere 19th-century family home in Paul Revere country to spend the summer planning what to do with her young and privileged life after the alarming breakup of her parents' 22-year marriage. Her stiff-upper-lip father, Jack, a wealthy entrepreneur in a textbook business, deals with his wife Faith's departure (and nervous breakdown) stoically, as is the custom of his emotionally frigid Yankee ancestors. Yet with a glimpse of the pregnant state of his former Colombian housekeeper, Rosita, whom he unceremoniously dismissed six months before despite the true affection she and his ten-year-old son Eliot share, Jack grows uncharacteristically troubled and self-questioning. In alternating third-person points of view, the reader is treated to a thorough, albeit forgiving, examination of the collapsing Dunlap state of affairs and of the rickety old-money network-an examination aided by Caroline's nosy, well-meaning, pot-addled schoolmate Rock Coughlin and an oily turncoat filmmaker who wants to get the story of The Last WASPS-from Puritans to Preppies on film. Shattuck, wisely, unearths the inherent comedy is these stilted, in-bred characters who can indeed laugh at themselves and remain sympathetic. Caroline's mother Faith-a nervous, pretty, and sheltered divorcée-spends the novel at a girlhood friend's home on Pea Island, afraid of facing her young, unsupervised son, and in the company of a terrifying Frenchman who encourages her to go skinny-dipping. "I'm used to not knowing what's going on," she concludes when Jack's scandalous situation with the former housekeeper is gradually revealed. Caroline, infatuated by the filmmaker, subscribes to a similar philosophy of safety in incuriosity-until young Eliot's need for love and attention drives everybody out of their collective, maddening self-absorption.

Shattuck has done wonders bringing to luminous life her patriotic diorama.

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THE HAZARDS OF GOOD BREEDING | Kirkus Reviews

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A loopy, tightly wound WASP family in Concord, Massachusetts, unravels with the introduction of alien elements in a generously portrayed and richly appointed debut. Harvard graduate Caroline Dunlap has returned to her austere 19th-century family home in Paul Revere country to spend the summer planning what to do with her young and privileged life after the alarming breakup of her parents' 22-year marriage.

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Green: Themes/big ideas
Blue: American Dream
White: Craft and lenses
Red: Intro information
Yellow: Connections to Gatsby
Purple: Historical Connections

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In The Hazards of Good Breeding, Jessica Shattuck portrays how women and those in the lower class are silenced. Rosita, the Dunlap's former babysitter, is surrounded by the rich and men, yet "there is no sound from the woman, no bark or growl from the dogs, and no more shouting" (244). The absence of sound from the woman could be interpreted as the silencing of her voice. The dogs being mentioned in the same sentence is also significant as dogs are often associated with being loyal and obedient, which could be seen as gendered qualities. Shattuck is critiquing the constraints that are placed on women and their lack of ability to express themselves freely since they don't have authority. - Molly

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Lilo, a wealthy actress close to the Dunlap's, uses her wealth and the privilege that comes along with it. She discriminates against her laundry people claiming "they have no idea about nice things" (165). The way that Lilo says this so casually to Caroline illustrates the respect that colored people and those who are less wealthy are treated with. Lilo and people like Lilo, have privilege that they not only gain from wealth but also their skin color. They can fall back onto these privileges and say whatever they want to about those with less privilege because in society people of color are already seen with less respect. - Molly

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An example of craft seen in the text is through the chapter length. In the beginning of the text, as we mentioned in our review, the plot gets off to a slow start. Each beginning chapter aligns with the plot, with most of them being very long. Towards the end of the book, as the plot speeds up, the chapters come quicker and get shorter. Shattuck uses chapter length to represent the building of suspense during the most tense parts of the text.
-Addy

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The family dynamic of the Dunlap's is very distant from one another. On the outside they are like "a shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark" hiding what their relationship actually is like, which is a jumbled mess (22). -Molly

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Theme/big idea: Self Discovery + Identity

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Theme/big idea: Self Discovery + Identity

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Faith is seen as a complex character, who rarely sees her children and ultimately does not know how to be a good mother for her youngest son, Elliot. She lives far away from their old home where the children still live, and is always pushing away conversation or even a mere thought of her ex-husband, Jack Dunlap. She is also seemingly afraid of venturing out of her comfort zone and dating after divorce, not really knowing who she is or wants to be after separating from Jack. "The delicate balloon of Faith's confidence... bumps and sags, punctured by the terrifying possibility that, in fact, they have lured her here to set her up--to force her into the desperate and intimidating world of adult dating." (86). Faith is having a hard time navigating not only her romantic relationships, but also her family relationships as a new life has brought adaptation issues. She doesn't know how to be her own person, and becomes "deflated" quickly as a result of her insecurity. -Addy

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theme/Big idea: Privilege in relation to wealth and social class

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theme/Big idea: Privilege in relation to wealth and social class

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When it is revealed that Rosita is pregnant with Jacks child, it is evident that he will not have to endure the consequences that Rosita will face. Jack will always have his wealth to catch him when he gets caught up in the midst of a tense situation. Rosita would not be in the same situation, as "she has no citizenship, no papers, no court system to fall back on" (206). Although Jack is the one that ultimately caused this, he is probably the one that will suffer the least, as Rosita, along with his family are going to crumble. - Addy

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We give this book a 2/5 star rating. The plot only got enticing towards the end, and the lead up was dragged on. Once it got to the event, it began to get interesting, but only then did we enjoy reading. Overall, it was boring throughout the beginning parts and picked up at the end, the only reason why it's not getting one star.
-Addy

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The subject matter of Paul Revere kept resurfacing in the book, from Eliot's part in the play to his reenacting Revere while looking for Rosita's son. This leads readers to one question: What exactly does Paul Revere's ride embody for Eliot? As a young boy struggling with a sense of identity and place in the world, Eliot is drawn to the story of Paul Revere as a figure who stood up for what he believed in. Perhaps Eliot sees himself as a modern-day Revere, trying to sound the alarm about the dangers of conformity in his privileged world. It is important to note that Eliot is a member of this wealthy and privileged world, so he is removed from the struggles of those who fought for American independence. Consequently, Eliot is trying to connect with history in a way and imagine himself as a part of the tradition of rebellion and resistance.  -Ella

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"He is afraid of men who come out of the jungle with machetes and machine guns, men who are not afraid to terrorize innocent people...men like those who took Roberto" (233-234). It was unlikely that Elliot would ever have to face something like this, speaking to the class divide depending on country of origin and economic status. Although Elliot has not yet been exposed to the reality of his situation and the privilege that he has, it speaks to the American dream in and of itself. From a young age, Roberto was probably warned about these men by Rosita, constantly living in fear that something terrible would happen. Elliot is older that Roberto was, but is completely unaware of the dangers that others have to face while his wealth and privlege will be a constant lifeline for him and his family.
-Addy

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There are many references to historical elements in the novel. One of them being a Boston newspaper like when Shattuck writes,"she probably balances her checkbook and reads the wedding section of the Globe", (Shattuck 116). The Boston Globe represents a highly respected and influential newspaper that was founded in 1972, giving the readers a sense for the time period. It's promotion of local, Boston culture has sofilyed its place as a significant institution in American history. -Ella

The Boston Globe Research: https://www.bostonglobemedia.com/

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Though the book was published in 2003, it is set in Boston during the 1970/80s. It is important to note that American society and Boston during this time period was undergoing significant change. Firstly, there were racial tensions with the "busing crisis", in which a court-ordered desegregation plan led to violent protests. In the Hazards of Good Breeding, we see a reference to this desegregation and more notably the opposition to it by the wealthy Boston elites as Shattuk writes, "a women whose burning ambition is to make sure the Boston Cotillion stops its slippery slide toward becoming open to just anyone." (Shattuck 73).  - Ella

Boston Busing Crisis Research: https://bostonresearchcenter.org/projects_files/eob/single-entry-busing.html#:~:text=Bused%20children%20were%20jeered%2C%20menaced,attend%20private%20and%20parochial%20schools.

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In response to decades of racial segregation, in 1974, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts required the Boston Public Schools to integrate the city's schools through busing. Court-mandated busing, which continued until 1988, provoked enormous outrage among many white Bostonians, and helped to catalyze racist violence and class tensions across the city throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Anti-busing protests and iconography became national news in these years, and cemented Boston's reputation as a city plagued by racial and socioeconomic strife.

Though racial segregation was not codified by law in Boston, as it was in many Southern cities, it was an unofficial policy in the city, one reinforced by the Boston School Committee's districting decisions and stark residential segregation. Schools in African-American neighborhoods were badly underfunded, underequipped, and understaffed, eliciting protests from enrolled students and their parents. Schools that served black children received about two thirds of the amount of funding received by schools in white neighborhoods.

In 1965, the Massachusetts General Court passed the Racial Imbalance Act, outlawing segregation in public schools and defining segregated schools as those with a student body comprised of more than fifty percent of a particular racial group. Though 44 of Boston's schools fell into this category, Boston School Committee members refused to develop or implement plans to integrate the city's schools.

In response, African-American parents began to organize. They organized protests and boycotts, established "freedom schools" with more inclusive, often Afro-centric curricula, and lobbied for access to better-equipped and better-staffed schools in the suburbs. They established the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) in 1966, which enabled African-American students to travel to surrounding suburban schools. African-American parents also partnered with the NAACP to compel the Boston School Committee to integrate the city's schools, filing a lawsuit, Morgan v. Hennigan, against the committee in 1972 for its ongoing refusal to comply with the state's Racial Imbalance Act.

On June 21, 1974, Judge Wendell Arthur Garrity Jr. found the Committee's efforts to preserve segregation unconstitutional. To address longstanding segregation, Garrity required the system to desegregate its schools, busing white students to black schools and black students to white schools across the city. Garrity's decision and his subsequent oversight of the busing plan provoked outrage among many Bostonians. Working-class residents of white ethnic enclaves across the city expressed particular fury with Garrity, maintaining that the judge, a resident of Wellesley, an upscale suburb fifteen miles outside of Boston, had no right to compel Boston parents to send their children to schools outside their neighborhoods. Garrity and his family were subjected to frequent death threats and placed under round-the-clock protection for several years as a result.

Critics of the decision also protested that busing would accomplish little other than interracial violence. They argued that moving students from one failing school to another didn't address the system's larger failures, pointing to Garrity's decision to bus students between the poorly performing high schools in South Boston and Roxbury. Though Bostonians often criticized busing on logistical or socioeconomic grounds, their complaints were often motivated by thinly-veiled racism.

Protests erupted across the city over the summer of 1974, taking place around City Hall and in the areas of the city most affected by busing: the white neighborhoods of South Boston, Charlestown, and Hyde Park and the black neighborhoods in Roxbury, Mattapan, and the South End. A national recession had resulted in staggering levels of unemployment in South Boston, stoking residents' anger at the politicians and judges they held responsible for the decision.

One prominent leader of these anti-busing protests was Louise Day Hicks, chairwoman of the Boston School Committee, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and leader of an anti-busing group called Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR). Comprised mainly of women, ROAR staged protests, sit-ins, and prayer sessions, as well as violent protests, arguing that Garrity and the state had usurped the custodial rights of parents. ROAR also worked to intimidate black students, hurling racial epithets at schoolchildren and burning a wooden school bus in effigy. In 1974, ROAR organized a march of thousands on the Massachusetts State House in protest of desegregation.

On September 12, 1974, the first day of school, many students stayed home, some in protest, some for safety. Only 13 students from South Boston High School appeared in Roxbury, and only 100 out of the 1300 students from Roxbury assigned to South Boston High School showed up. When black students arrived in South Boston on buses escorted by motorcycle-mounted police officers, protestors met the buses with eggs, bottles, and bricks. The Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts National Guard had to be called in to control the area. Throughout the year, violence flared on and beyond school grounds. Bused children were jeered, menaced, and periodically attacked; many students suffered from stress, fear, and illness as a result. All told, 18,000 students were bused into other neighborhoods in the 1974-75 school year. More than 30,000 Boston Public Schools students left to attend private and parochial schools.

Though busing-related violence was less frequent over the next few years, the city's interracial tensions remained national news. Boston's "busing crisis," as the press dubbed it, supplied an iconic set of images that came to symbolize increasing national resistance to busing as a solution to the ongoing problem of school segregation. The best known of these is a 1976 photograph by Boston Herald American photographer Stanley Forman depicting white anti-busing protester Joseph Rakes using an American flag to attack Theodore Landsmark, an African-American attorney heading to a meeting at nearby City Hall. Titled "The Soiling of Old Glory," the picture won the 1977 Pulitzer prize and came to symbolize white Bostonians' racist rage in the wake of busing.

Court-ordered desegregation efforts continued over the course of the next decade and a half. Judge Garrity continued to oversee the system's busing plan until 1983, when he turned responsibility for its implementation over to the state. The state oversaw busing until 1988, when it handed responsibility for desegregation efforts back to the Boston Schools Committee.

The busing system implemented by Garrity's ruling did not result in fully integrated schools. White flight from the city's public schools, gentrification and continuing residential segregation, and the Boston Public Schools' eventual decision to allow students to attend neighborhood schools resulted in the resegregation of the city's schools. Today, 54 percent of Bostonians are white, but only 14% of students in the Boston Public Schools are. As of 2018, more than half of Boston Public Schools are profoundly segregated, more so than they were in 1965; at many schools, more than ninety percent of enrolled students are students of color.

Delmont, Matthew F. Why Busing Failed: Race, Media, and the National Resistance to School Desegregation. Oakland: University of California Press, 2016.

Eaton, Susan E. The Other Boston Busing Story: What's Won and Lost Across the Boundary Line. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015.

Formisano, Ronald P. Boston Against Busing: Race, Class, and Ethnicity in the 1960s and 1970s. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2004.

Lukas, Anthony. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families. New York: Vintage, 1986.

Masur, Louis P. The Soiling of Old Glory: The Story of a Photograph that Shocked America. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009.

Tager, Jack. Boston Riots: Three Centuries of Social Violence. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2001.

Taylor, Steven J.L. Desegregation in Boston and Buffalo: The Influence of Local Leaders. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998.

Vaznis, James. "Boston's Schools are Becoming More Resegregated." Boston Globe August 4, 2018. Web. Aug. 2018.

Vrabel, Jim. A People's History of the New Boston. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.

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Desegregation Busing | Encyclopedia of Boston

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In response to decades of racial segregation, in 1974, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts required the Boston Public Schools to integrate the city's schools through busing. Court-mandated busing, which continued until 1988, provoked enormous outrage among many white Bostonians, and helped to catalyze racist violence and class tensions across the city throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

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As seen throughout the text, and a recurring theme throughout many books including Gatsby, there is a drastic difference in lifestyle between the wealthy and less wealthy. Rosita, is a less  wealthy character who worked for the Dunlaps is seen being constantly undermined and othered, which can be blamed on the class divide present in the text. Rosita "trusts in greenery, in quiet streets and brand names and money" (234). It's ironic to view this from an outsider standpoint, as we eventually see what consequences Rosita faced as a result of putting this trust into wealthy characters and concepts. As seen in Gatsby, green is color connotation for wealth and money, also seen here with the greenery that Rosita puts her trust into, just to face ultimate betrayal. Although she might have walked into this situation thinking that it would have been the perfect opportunity to achieve the American dream, in reality it was a nightmare.
-Addy

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Jack had a dream that he carried throughout his marriage, which ultimately failed. He also wants to move somewhere "where being American is still a commitment, not a happenstance" (50). He seems to posses old values, which can be seen in the composition of the American dream and the out of reach ideals that mislead individuals. The American dream is also mentioned on page 62, where the shadow of the American flag appears to be fluttering up the building like a flame. This happens right after Elliot reveals that he had a dream about Faith dying.
- Addy

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The idea of domestic bliss/perfection tied to achieving the American Dream is a reoccurring theme in American literature.
In the Hazards of Good Breeding, Shattuck is able to provide commentary on an unattainable dream through the character Faith, who is described as, "the girl excited to get married, to have babies, and a husband and host big Thanksgiving dinners, has become a mother who doesn't see her children often" (Shattuck 146). The "big Thanksgiving dinner" portrays the traditional, idealized American dream with a happy family; however, Faith's inability to live up to the idea of a perfect family proves that the American Dream is not achieved by everybody. - Ella

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Political change also occurred too; the 1980s was a conservative era in American politics, with the election of Reagan and the rise of the conservative movement. In Boston, however, liberal politics still held sway. On page 64-65, the grandfather does not agree with the liberal and counterculture movements when he says to Elliot, "thank god you're not one of them" (Shattuck 65). It is clear that the older generation seems to be be more conservative in the novel.   - Ella

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Jessica Shattuck is a graduate of Harvard University, and she received her MFA from Columbia University.
-Addy

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Given that this book portrays a wealthy Bostonian family, it is interesting to look at how the character's achieved this wealth and status in the first place. It should be noted that according to the author, the pursuit of wealth is a competitive journey and can even be a corrupting influence since "everyone in America has someone in their family who was once a social climber {...} these people just thinking enough money can buy them right up to the top of the waiting list (Shattuck 167). The phrase "top of the waiting list" speaks to the social hierarchies  that exist, which is especially important in regards to striving for the American Dream because the wealthy Boston elite appear to be at the top, while the working class in Boston are not. -Ella

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In The Hazards of Good Breeding, Jessica Shattuck depicts similar gender roles to those presented in The Great Gatsby in which a women's purpose is to marry and become a mother. Faith, like Daisy, rushed this purpose as it had "never occurred to her that people who have children could be in love" (237). Both Faith and Daisy got married and had children as fast as possible, so they could achieve the American Dream that is catered towards women. Since they both rushed, they both weren't ready yet to make the best decision for themselves. As a result, Faith and Daisy neglected their children and weren't secure in their relationships with their husbands. -Molly

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"This is not the dream he began with." (Shattuck 35) --> Similar to Gatsby, the concept of dream and character's aspirations play a huge role in this novel. Over the course of both books, character's dreams and aspirations are often fueled by other characters in the stories. Gatsby's dream to achieve prosperity was fueled by his (disillusioned) admiration for Daisy. Jack Dunlap, the ex-husband of Faith, is motivated by his divorce as seen when they bump into each other at the play, "seeing his ex-wife inspires in him. It fuels him to get things done, be productive, keep moving." (Shattuck 63). - Ella

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In The Hazards of Good Breeding author Jessica Shattuck portrays a similar but distinct slice of wealthy society compared to The Great Gatsby. While the characters are still wealthy and obsessed with social status, they are more reserved and sophisticated than the characters in The Great Gatsby. This can be seen when the wealthy families were spending time at the "Ponkatawset club {…} having the same conversations with the same people in the same mind-numbingly dull places forever," (Shattuck 105). Shattuck's melancholic diction is apparent here, with the word "forever" indicating a sense of hopelessness since the speaker feels trapped with these people. Moreover, in The Great Gatsby, the 1920s society, there are "enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each others names" (Fitzgerald 39), underscoring the superficiality of their social interactions. Compared to the extravagant 1920s society, wealthy Boston families are more focused on their class and communities' traditions and social expectations. Overall, both novels critique the wealthy society of their respective times, highlighting the emptiness and moral decay that can come with excessive wealth and privilege. However, they do so in slightly different ways, reflecting the unique characteristics of the social circles they depict. - Ella

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Jessica Shattuck has always been interested in how people can normalize extreme behavior and she learned a lot of it through her grandparents that were living in Germany during WW2. -Molly

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Jack Dunlap decided to fire Rosita who took care of Eliot, yet "It was Wheelie who delivered the letter and check Jack wrote terminating [Rosita's] employment" (176). Similar to Tom Buchanan, Jack has a need to protect his reputation, so he isn't seen as the bad guy. Jack also has his wealth to fall back on if anything goes wrong, the wealth being a sense of security, just like it is for Tom and Daisy. -Molly