The Great Gatsby America in the 1920s - 2381 Words

Considered as the defining work of the 1920s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925, when America was just coming out of one of the most violent wars in the nation’s history. World War 1 had taken the lives of many young people who fought and sacrificed for our country on another continent. The war left many families without fathers, sons, and husbands. The 1920s is an era filled with rich and dazzling history, where Americans experienced changes in lifestyle from music to rebellion against the United States government. Those that are born into that era grew up in a more carefree, extravagant environment that would affect their interactions with others as well as their attitudes about themselves and societal†¦show more content†¦This was also a time of optimism and desire. Money was a major foundation of society in America. Seeing as the decade was fixated on beauty, power, and wealth, people felt they could forget about their pasts and co uld become anyone they wanted, as though they could become an elite member of economic or social power. Flapper girls were also a new development of lifestyle during this era. Flappers were a new image for women, ditching the old and traditional lifestyle for a new, outlandish one. Being able to cut their hair short, wear short skirts, go out dancing and drinking without a man with them, and begin to speak their minds was a huge thing. From a world where the man is the one in the house that works and the woman stays home and takes care of the home and children to partying and making more carefree and promiscuous choices in their personal lives, this was a fascinating and empowering experience for some women. Though most women certainly did not adapt the extreme party lifestyle, many women at least adopted the fashion style and wore shorter skirts and got their hair cut into the bob style. For the women, being a flapper made them feel independent and powerful, and they freely pra cticed manipulation over rich and morally questionable men using seductive and promiscuous means. Due to the fact that so many peopleShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerlad832 Words   |  4 PagesEveryone in America has their own American Dream. These dreams may vary from having a family or becoming a rich business person. The American dream was strongest in our country during the start of the 1920s. America was just beginning to triumph over poverty. People were becoming more successful as a country. Carrie Latet once said, May I never wake up from the American dream. Along with Carrie, this was the wish of the vast majority of America. In 1929, the Great Depression hit and many AmericansRead More F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby Essay1211 Words   |  5 Pagesindifference of the 1920s. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores many aspects of indifference and flamboyancy. A large influence on this society was the pur suit of the American Dream. Gangsters played a heavily influential role in the new money aristocracy of the 1920s. The indifference was mainly due to the advent of Prohibition in 1920. One major societal revolution in this period was that of the â€Å"new women,† who expressed new actions and beliefs. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald accuratelyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby1327 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is too concerned with conveying a picture of 1920s American society to have relevance to modern readers. From what you have read of the novel so far and using relevant contextual information, give your response to the above view. The USA in the 1920s is remembered as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, an age of new life, of hedonism and opportunity following the horrors the Great War. The decade is synonymous with wealth, materialism and unprecedented freedom. F. ScottRead More Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald Essay1122 Words   |  5 Pages Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald The 1920s is the decade in American history known as the â€Å"roaring twenties.† Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of life in the 1920s. Booming parties, prominence, fresh fashion trends, and the excess of alcohol are all aspects of life in the â€Å"roaring twenties.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The booming parties in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby reflect life in America during the 1920s. Gatsby displays his prominent fortune by throwing grand parties. FromRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1704 Words   |  7 PagesClass structure of the 1920s was based on popularity and how well off people were compared to those around them. F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates class structure in the book The Great Gatsby through the different characters in different social classes. Fitzgerald gives settings that correspond with the social classes of the characters to better illustrate what environment he placed each character in. The Buchanan’s, Gatsby, and the Wilsons are examples of the different conflicting social classes FitzgeraldRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald992 Words   |  4 PagesJazz Age was a period of great economic, social, and political change happening in the 1920’s. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitz gerald, however, sees in this a time of boundaryless death, and urban decimation. The Great Gatsby is modeled towards the death of the American dream during the 1920’s. Based on the happening of the 1920’s, this model is certainly reasonable. F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby use the motifs of materialism, carelessness, and decay seen in the 1920’s in order to show aRead MoreA Society Without Morals - The Great Gatsby891 Words   |  4 Pagesof the United States of America meaning that America is the land of opportunity and wealth for anyone. However what people fail to understand when they manage to get to America is that, although it is the land of opportunity, an individual is not able to magically go from dirt poor to filthy rich, they have to work for it. Even after working for it many people are disappointed not because they did not get more money, they just did not as much as the expected. In the 1920s this was because of allRead MoreThe Great G atsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1599 Words   |  7 Pagespopular novels is named The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is written to reproduce the environment that Fitzgerald was living in. This semiautobiographical work uses fictitious characters to portray how people around Fitzgerald acted and what the overall theme of America was at this point in time. The years that ensued World War I were known for mass productions of alcohol, grand parties, and greed for money. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald depicts America through Jay Gatsby, expresses the conditionRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Analysis1327 Words   |  6 Pageslifestyles of people living at that time.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald can be viewed as a lens into the 1920s by depicting how different socioeconomic classes lived and the feelings of these different groups of people.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The 1920s are often referred to as the roaring 20s because it was a prosperous time for America.   This period was was a crucial time for America, socially and politically, and Fitzgerald is able to emulate this in â€Å"The Great Gatsby†.   The tone Fitzgerald utilizes throughoutRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1271 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Dream Essay By: Mary C. Watts In his novel,The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald attempted to explore the American Dream during a corrupt period of the 20’s. In this novel, he wants us to believe that money makes the world go round, or perhaps gets one headed in the right direction. Is it true that an individual can achieve success in life, regardless of family history or social status, if they work hard? Fitzgerald wanted to show the hidden boundaries dividing reality from illusion