In the novel, “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald used social values, personal assumptions and denial to influence the choices Gatsby and Daisy made surrounding their relationship. Setting the novel during the 1920’s, Fitzgerald was able to incorporate historical events, like Prohibition and World War I, into his story. He was also able to incorporate the dramatic changes in thinking and socially acceptable behavior of this time. Frederick Lewis Allen described this period between WWI and the notorious stock-market crash as a “revolution in manners and morals” (The 1920s), which Fitzgerald describes throughout his book. With the end of WWI, the nation entered a time known as “Coolidge Prosperity”, or the “Golden Glow” (The 1920s). During these seven years of booming markets from 1922-1929, the United States accumulated 2/5 of the world’s wealth (The 1920s). This abundance in revenue created the perfect setting for characters that were looking for income growth, such as Gatsby, or even Nick. This was also a remarkable time for women. The 19th Amendment gave women legal grounds to vote (19th Amendment), as the social idea of the patriarchal family from the Victorian era began to transform into a more companionate structure, where wives were viewed more as partners (The 1920s). During the “Roaring 20’s”, there was a wide spread rebellion of young Americans against traditional values (Mintz). These events and ways of thinking strongly influenced the development and conclusion of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship. At a very early age, Gatsby realized the negative stigma society placed on poverty, even though there was no official poverty threshold until the 1960’s (Fisher). While there was no established poverty threshold... ... middle of paper ... ...ory, life rarely so simple. Works Cited "The 1920s: Lifestyles;Social Trends: Overview." American Decades. 2001. "The 1920s: Lifestyles and Social Trends: Overview." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2001. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. Benner, Louise. "Women in the 1920s in North Carolina." Women in the 1920s. Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History, Spring 2004. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. Fisher, Gordon M. "Social Security." History. Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, Spring 1992. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print. Mintz, S., and S. McNeil. "Digital History." Digital History. N.p., 2013. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote (1920). Digital image. Our Documents -. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
Crossing the porch where we had dined that June night three months before, I came to a small rectangle of light which I guessed was the pantry window. The blind was drawn, but I found a rift at the sill.
The Value of Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby, who is one of the main characters of the Great Gatsby, is a man with a mysterious background and an unknown personality. He doesn't mention too much about his past except certain fabricated highlights of his life which were designed to impress others. The strange and humorous thing is that he carries articles of evidence that back up most of his lies to prove that he isn't lying. Gatsby is also the kind of man that is used to getting what he wants no matter what the consequences are, causing him to be a very determined man that once has an idea in his mind won't let it go until he accomplishes it. The things that Jay Gatsby values the most is money, to impress others and gain acceptance and most of all, having things his own way.
The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote and let them feel like they have become full citizens which resulted in becoming a flapper. In 1917, women boycotted for the right to vote in front of the White House and for this "harmless act" many were incarcerated (West 1). On August 26, 1920, after a hard-won battle, women finally had become full citizens in their own minds. The 19th Amen...
Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America In The 1920s. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group Inc., 2010. Print.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. "Chapter 7." The Great Gatsby. New York, NY:
According to the dictionary, the definition of dissatisfaction is the quality or state of being unhappy or discontent. Dissatisfaction is a disease that theoretically knows no prejudices, has no cure, and almost everyone has it. This is a global epidemic, that can destroy a man in the time it takes to snap your fingers. Physically most people will be alright but discontent will rot you to the core on the inside. Unfortunately, not being content seems to be a very common part of society today and in the past. The theme of not be satiated by life is especially seen in the famous novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. All the characters in this novel seemingly have achieved the american dream but they are all unhappy and never get what they really want in the end. Also, no character is satisfied with their marriage, with love, and with life in general. They are all unhappy with their lives and they destroy the lives of others in order to satisfy themselves. The Great Gatsby teaches us that even being wealthy and powerful, people can still be dissatisfied and will do anything in order to be happy. Therefore, despite believing that we have it all, dissatisfaction still plagues the human spirit.
After World War One the life style in America changed, this time was known as the Roaring Twenties. During the Roaring Twenties women evolved, in this time it became more acceptable for them to smoke and drink in public. Women had closer body contact while dancing and they had a much greater participation in the workforce. In the twenties there was a group of young women that became known as flappers. They wore shorter dresses with a straight loose silhouette (Scott). The title flapper also proclaimed the freedom of young women. These women were more rebellious; they smoked cigarettes and drank in public. Smoking and drinking were only just a few of the rebellious things women would do during this time. Flappers rejected moral value and the rules of the Victoria Age. During the Roaring Twenties washing machines, vacuums, and canned food made women’s lives easier. Women also gained careers from many different professions, unlike ever before (Howard; Ellis 522-24).
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
The distance between the wealthy class and the rest has grown, but so has the idea of noblesse oblige. The Great Gatsby clearly shows all of these issues as they were in the ‘20s, and all of them can be paralleled to show the same issues in today’s times. Works Cited Auchincloss, Louis. A. “The American Dream: All Gush and Twinkle.” Reading on the Great Gatsby.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Daisy Miller by Henry James, most of the characters are under illusions during the majority of the plot. The plots are carried out with the characters living under these illusions, which are mainly overcome by the ends of the stories. The disillusionment of most of the characters completely diminishes the foundation in which the plots were built upon, leading to the downfall of some of the main characters and the altering of the other characters.
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 expectations. In this novel, symbols are used to represent the changing times and create a picture of this era for generations to come. The history, settings, characters, and symbols embedded in The Great Gatsby exemplify life in America during the 1920s.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925