The Great Gatsby - Reflection of an Era
During the 1920's America was a country of great ambition, despair and disappointment. The novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of this decade, it illustrates the burning passion one man has toward his "American Dream" and the different aspects of the dream. Fitzgerald's work is a reflection of America during his lifetime. The Great Gatsby shows the ambition of one man's reach for his "American Dream," the disappointment of losing this dream and the despair of his loss.
In the 1920's the spirit and ambition of the American people soared. Unlike their European counterparts who were trapped in the social class to which they were born, the American people knew that if they worked hard then they could rise to a higher social class. The flappers and the women's liberation movement were just two examples of how Americans expressed their newly discovered social freedom. It seemed that nothing was impossible to achieve. James Gatz, shared the spirit and ambition on the American people and fought long and hard to earn his place in the world. He had dreamed of transforming himself from the poor, young man that he was into the wealthy celebrity that he would soon become.
Gatsby, as a child, had a daily schedule that he followed. He knew from childhood that he had to work for his fame. "Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something" (175). Gatsby's ambition lay not only in his future, but as he grew older it would be found in his love. He had an obsession with Daisy Buchanan and tried everything in his power to bring things back to they way they used to be when they first met. He thought he could relive the past. He threw lavish parties to get her attention. He did everything in his power to be near her. " ‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay' " (79) He earned his wealth so that they could finally be together.
Like Gatsby, the American people of the 1920's followed their hearts, and their ambition. Through World War One, American men fought to save their country and woman fought to win the right to vote. Even in fashion women were liberated, as the hemline on an average skirt was raised. The ambition held in this country during this time period was what built the society, much like Gatsby's ambition built and shaped his future with Daisy.
Along with the ambition of a country and a man in the 1920's, there was also disappointment. America suffered the great stock market crash that left many Americans penniless. This disappointment in America was also what lead to the country's despair. Fitzgerald mirrored this great loss through Gatsby's great loss. Gatsby lived his life for Daisy. Everything he did was for her love, and soon his love would be returned. Soon he would be left all alone. When Daisy told Gatsby that at one time she did love Tom, he was devastated. He was unaware of how one person could love two people at once. Daisy also went home with Tom, and went on a weekend getaway with him as well which left Gatsby heartbroken, and alone. "He put his hands in his pockets and turned back eagerly to his scrutiny of the house, as though my presence marred the sacredness of the vigil. So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight– watching over nothing" (146). Gatsby knew he lost Daisy when "[. . .] she came to the window and stood there for a minute and then turned out the light." (146); at that moment his disappointment set in. The despair he was soon to meet was setting in, just as America's did when the stock market crashed.
Gatsby had only one real ambition, winning his one true love – this lead to his death. When Daisy killed Myrtle, Gatsby was her scapegoat. He took all the blame of the accident himself, and because of this Gatsby was murdered. George Wilson was so distraught by the unexpected death of his wife that he believed the only answer would be to kill the man who killed his wife, and then to kill himself. Gatsby was found laying dead, in his pool.
Gatsby's demise was a pitiful one, with only a few at his funeral and the love of his life not sending flowers nor a message. As Nick reminisces of Gatsby's funeral he remembers this: "[Nick] tried to think about Gatsby then for a moment, but he was already too far away, and then [Nick] could only remember, without resentment, that Daisy hadn't sent a message or a flower. Dimly I heard someone murmur ‘Blessed are the dead that the rain falls on,' and then the owl-eyed man said ‘Amen to that,' in a brave voice." (177) This incident was a microcosm of America's downfall. After the crash of the stock market, America's economy hit a low point. Americans had invested most if not all of their savings into the stock market and when it crashed they were left with nothing – this lead to the Great Depression. There were not many people there to help America get out of this depression, there was no one. The Great Depression was much like Gatsby's death – the fall of the great man, the fall of great America.
The novel The Great Gatsby mirrors the decade of the 1920's. The events that shook America and the events in Gatsby's life are analogous. Gatsby’s life was a microcosm of American during this time period. His life had peeks and valleys as did the life of all Americans. The outcome of World War One affected not only Americans but Canadians, Jews, and Germans. Just as Gatsby winning Daisy's love affected Tom, Nick and all other characters. Gatsby's disappointment, ambition, and despair reflect that of America in the twenties. They are a representation of each other. The reflection on the 1920's is depicted throughout The Great Gatsby with every event that occurred in Gatsby's life, and himself as a man is a representation of "America" or "The American People." Partner sites: Bulldog, Study Spanish in Mexico, and The Great Gatsby