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Changes in American society in 1920
Culture of the 1920s in America
How did american culture and society change in the 1920s
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God’s eyes were watching them The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleberg represent windows to the soul, the loss of morals and, materialism during the 1920s. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald implies that eyes are the windows to the soul. In the beginning of the book Nick goes to a dinner party at his cousin Daisy’s house. Things get awkward when Tom gets a call from his mistress in New York: “I was conscious of wanting to look squarely at every one, and yet avoid all eyes. I couldn’t guess what Daisy and Tom were thinking” (Pg. 15). Nick wants to look into the eyes of the people around him understand what they are thinking. Dr. Eckleberg is a little bit different; he is like a god, observing the people of the valley of ashes: “I followed him over a low …show more content…
24). Dr. Eckleberg watches over people, but unlike a god, he doesn’t care and doesn’t try to help. The billboard of Dr. Eckleberg represents the loss of religion and moral values of the 1920s. When Americans began to get wealthy, they abandoned their religion and replaced it with materialism. Instead of going to church, people went to Gatsby’s house for parties on Sunday mornings. As Dr. Eckleberg’s billboard faded, so did the morals of the people in the roaring 20s. “But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Pg. 24). The wealthy were measured by their material possessions instead of their morals. Gatsby does everything he can to climb to the top of the social ladder, but he loses his morals on his way up because of his illegal means to gain capital. Dr. Eckleberg’s billboard represents the growing materialism in the roaring 20s. Gatsby portrays this materialism perfectly because of his decadent life style. The valley of ashes is the complete opposite of the world in which Gatsby lives. “This is a valley of ashes… where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and… of men who move dimly and already crumbling
In the land of waste, the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg still remains and continues to watch its people. The advertisement still stands strong in the land of waste conveys the idea that even in one of the worst condition, there is still hope and God is still watching. It was under the eyes of Eckleburg when Tom introduces Nick to his affair Myrtle. The death of Myrtle also happened as a result of the affair and took place in the valley of ashes where the billboard watches. After Myrtle’s death, her husband George Wilson claims that he doesn’t know who Myrtle cheated on him with but he states that God knows who the person is and go is watching everything. While staring at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, Wilson said, “I spoke to her. I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God! God sees everything(Fitzgerald
Andrew T. Crosland, an expert on the Jazz Age writings of author F.Scott Fitzgerald, wrote that Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby included over 200 references to cars (Crosland). This is not surprising as the automobile, like the flapper were enticing novelties at the time this book was written. The main characters in The Great Gatsby who, by the way, all drive cars are Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle and George Wilson. Attractive, yet enigmatic, Gatsby tries to win the love of an aristocratic woman, who rebuffs Gatsby for her upper class husband. This leads to Gatsby’s tragic murder after he is falsely accused of killing Myrtle with his Rolls Royce. The automobile, as
The dawn of the 20th century was met with an unprecedented catastrophe: an international technological war. Such a horrible conflict perhaps threatened the roots of the American Dream! Yet, most do not realize how pivotal the following years were. Post war prosperity caused a fabulous age for America: the “roaring twenties”. But it also was an era where materialism took the nation by storm, rooting itself into daily life. Wealth became a measure of success and a facade for social status. This “Marxist materialism” threatened the traditional American Dream of self-reliance and individuality far even more than the war a decade before. As it morphed into materialistic visions (owning a beautiful house and car), victims of the change blindly chased the new aspiration; one such victim was Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. As his self-earned luxury and riches clashed with love, crippling consequences and disasters occur. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby delves into an era of materialism, exploring how capitalism can become the face of social life and ultimately cloud the American Dream.
F. Scott Fitzgerald third book, “The Great Gatsby”, stands as the supreme achievement in his career. According to The New York Times, “The Great Gatsby” is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. In the novel, the author described Daisy Buchanan as childish, materialistic, and charming. These characteristics describing Daisy is also description for the way women were seen during the 1920s.
Throughout the Great Gatsby, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are used repeatedly throughout the story as a god-like figure. The eyes of this billboard look out over the Valley of Ashes and watch quietly as demoralizing events occur: “God sees everything,”
Scott Fitzgerald was a writer who desired his readers to be able to hear, feel, and see his work. He made it his goal to be able to make readers think and keep asking questions using imagery and symbolism. The Great Gatsby was not just about the changes that occurred during the Jazz Age, but it was also about America’s corrupted society which was full of betrayal and money-hungry citizens. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that overlooked all the corruption that occurred throughout the Valley of Ashes. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that serves as a symbol of higher power who witnesses everything from betrayal to chaos in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
How does reading a story benefits an individual and improve his or her daily life? Extensive reading does not only serve as an entertainment purpose, but it is also beneficial to many readers because reading fiction can help enhance a person’s understanding of the type of society the reader lives in. For example, the famous novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as a brilliant work of literature, for it offers a detailed glimpse of the American life in the 1920s and comments on various social problems during that time period. The novel tells the story of a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby who lives in the fictional town of West Egg, located on Long Island, during the summer of 1922. Gatsby wants to pursue his first
The world is filled with cheapskates, phonies, and two-faced people. Many use others for their own benefits. In The Great Gatsby, through the motif of superficiality, Fitzgerald critiques the theme that displaying materialism and superficiality can ruin true love and a chance at true love. Objects cannot define a relationship; it should be the feelings developed that defines the relationship of two people. The characteristic of materialism is a barrier for true love between two people. Nick Carraway has just moved to a West Egg, and his mysterious neighbor is Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s long living dream is to rekindle his love and relationship with Daisy Buchanan, who is currently married to Tom Buchanan. He attempts to pursue his relationship with Daisy through his unexplained wealth. However, their love couldn’t be true because of their focus on “things” rather than each other.
Materialism has a negative influence on the characters in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. “The most terrible thing about materialism even more terrible than its proneness to violence, is its boredom, from which sex, alcohol, drugs, all devices for putting out the accusing light of reason and suppressing the unrealizable aspirations of love, offers a prospect of deliverance.” This quote, stated by Malcolm Muggeridge, says that people get bored with the things that they have when they get new things all of the time. When they get bored with these things, they turn to stuff like sex, alcohol, and drugs. In The Great Gatsby, Myrtle, Daisy, and Gatsby are greatly influenced by money, and material things. The negative influence that materialism has on these characters is shown throughout the entire novel.
Materialism may be defined as attention to or emphasis on material objects, needs or considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual values.
Happiness symbolises a form of content, a form of satisfaction that can lead to several types of actions. In the Great Gatsby, happiness is portrayed in unusual forms with different characters, however every single character has some form of a dream in mind. Fitzgerald juxtaposes his influence of T.S. Elliot’s use of Valley of the Ashes showing poverty, decay and lost spiritualism with the rich lifestyle of West Egg as he shows the wealth, parties and liveliness of this Egg. The Egg represents the symbol of birth and life, as well as the fragility of society and mainly the fragility of dreams. Each character in the novel has their own interpretation of the ‘American Dream – the pursuit of happiness’ as they all lack happiness due to the careless nature of American society during the Jazz Age.
America has been labeled "The land of opportunity," a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as "The American Dream." The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. Although "The American Dream" can be thought of as a positive motivation, it often causes people to strive for material perfection, rather than a spiritual one. This has been a truth since the beginnings of America, such as the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, which is an example of this set in the 20’s. The characters in this novel are too fixed on material things, losing sight of what is really important.
The American Dream is an unobtainable goal to achieve happiness through power, fame and fortune. The American Dream is common to everyone; however, people view it in different ways. It is dependent on where one lives and their social status. Unfortunately, the Dream is often based on people's desire for material goods. Fitzgerald states,"A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about" explains the emptiness of an existence with realization of a corrupted ideal.
Love is difficult. Love is difficult to find, difficult to keep, and difficult to understand. However, love is even more difficult when you mix in lies and a materialistic mindset. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, the reader is told a tale of just what can happen when you live a life of lies and illusions. It also shows how materialism can make you overlook the love you have in front of you. Through lies and materialism, love is tested, and it does not always come out alive.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the mentality of the ultra rich. Many of which have materialistic tendencies that have taken over their egos entirely. This materialism becomes the way they see life. To them anyone who doesn't have the advantages they possess is less of a human. Due to this, their life is controlled by their ego and causes them to be extremely selfish. Throughout The Great Gatsby, materialism takes over the decisions made by the wealthy, even if it means the death of someone else.