Class markers in the US

What defines social class in America? In class, a lot of us thought that income, way of life, and happiness are all markers of class. We see in the Great Gatsby that money is a huge marker of class. Those who live in the Eggs of New York, like Gatsby, live in huge houses and attend fancy parties. There is no doubt in my mind that money is the biggest marker of class in the US. The graph to the right shows that while the upper class is very small, about 5% of the US, they make up a large sum of the entire United States GDP.

A playful resident of the Jonquil Residence

I disagree, however, with the point that states happiness is a class marker in the US. While there are no graphs which measure happiness, I believe happiness is unrelated to class. Last October, I volunteered at a low income residence in Rogers Park called the Jonquil Residence. There, I cleaned and weatherized windows for the winter, and repaired a small roof outside in the courtyard of the residence. I knew that the people living at the residence were low income because of their living conditions, which for some was a 12' by 12' room, and their income, which was considerably low. However, when I worked there, laughter filled the hallways, and each resident greeted me with a smile when we passed each other. At the end of the day, I received many thanks from the residents. I believe one can live happily without much money, but living a certain way, or in a certain class, is only possible with the right amount of money.

If you are interested, here is another take on the correlation of social class and happiness. The author analyzes a Charles Dickens book called Great Expectations:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5777692/social_class_and_happiness_any_correlation.html