While many movies, performances, and other works of art can be enjoyed for entertainment; most, if not all, forms of art try to convey messages. Wall Street is a perfect example that shows how artists play a huge role in reinforcing stereotypes. Oliver Stone reinforces stereotypes about class in this film. Class structures illustrate how a society is divided and what separates the rich people from the poor people. The upper class, the middle working class, and the poor are the three main classes that make up New York City. This class division holds many stereotypes which Oliver Stone highlights in his film.
In the film Wall Street, Oliver Stone clearly points out the various classes that exist in New York City. Stone illustrates that capitalism has a huge effect on creating classes. He shows the various class differences by using characters to symbolize each class. For example, Gordon Gekko is a self-made millionaire who represents the upper class. Gekko has money and is willing to go to any extent to continue to have and make more money. Through Gekko’s character, Stone emphasizes the stereotype that the upper class would do anything to maintain their wealth. Stone also shows that the upper class is the only class that seems to understand the capitalistic system. Gekko even tells Bud “The richest one percent of this country owns half our country’s wealth… One third of that comes from hard work, two thirds comes from inheritance, interest on interest accumulating to widows and idiot sons and what I do, stock and real estate speculation. It’s bullshit. You got ninety percent of the American public out there with little or no net worth. I create nothing. I own. We make the rules, pal…Now you’re not naive enough to think we’re living in a democracy, are you buddy? It’s the free market. And you’re a part of it…” (Gekko, Wall Street). Gekko lives up to the stereotype of the rich making their money in corrupt ways and being greedy.
Stone also portrays how the working class struggle to maintain their money through Carl’s character. The complete opposite of Gordon Gekko, Carl represents the hard-working middle class. Unlike those who are a part of the upper class, Carl earns his money in honest ways and he tries to teach Bud his honest values. Still, Bud goes on to follow Gekko. Bud’s transformation from his middle class life to his rich class life is depicted through his character change and his room change. As Bud transforms from a lower class to a higher class, he becomes more interested in material success and starts to abandon the values that his father has taught him. This change is another example of how Stone reinforces the class structure that exists in New York.
Class structures continue to exist in New York City today. Artists also continue to play a role in reinforcing or breaking down class structures based on the stereotypes that we already believe. Oliver Stone uses his movie to reinforce the stereotypical definition of class that exists in New York City.
This political cartoon is another example of artwork that expresses the definition of class.
