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Struggles for the rich in the great gatsby
Introduction of the roaring twenties
Disillusionment reflected in f. scott fitzgerald’s novel the great gatsby
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The “Roaring Twenties” were surrounded by the disillusionment of an economically sound America, which was sure to fall. American culture in the 1920s was centered on lost hope and unreachable dreams as shown by the lost generation and countless others struggling to become rich by both illegal and legal means. Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby depicts the time accurately with his characters and even more in depth with an iconic quote about Gatsby reaching out to the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. All of the following real events are shown throughout the novel such as the war, prohibition and the new women’s movement. Without including these events and theme, Fitzgerald couldn’t have written a great American novel that connected with the historical 1920s.
The Great War involved all of the world’s superpowers and it pinned two factions against each other. American wouldn’t have gotten involved but the “Germans undertook overt acts against American lives” (Kennedy 696). The Allies side was composed of France, Russia and the United Kingdom at the start of the war. The opposing faction was called The Central powers, which included Germany and Austria- Hungary. As the war continued to grow, more countries joined in on the fight and America eventually joined the allies after Germany announced its decision to use unrestricted submarine warfare. The leader of the German regime, Hitler, had many lucrative goals he wished to achieve like the establishment of the Arian race. The war ended in 1918 and previous superpowers were now lost and struggling in poverty because of the large amount of spending. Germany, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Austria-Hungary all lost their superpower status as a dominant nation in the world economy. Mill...
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...nity and limitless potential.
Works Cited
Behr, Edward. Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America. New York: Arcade Pub., 1996. Print.
Dorn, Rick, Susan K. Freeman, and Pamela Pennock. "Clash of Cultures." Clash of Cultures. Knight Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 2004. Print.
Kennedy, M. David, Thomas Bailey, and Lizabeth Cohen. "Chapter 30/ The War to End War and Chapter 31/ American Life in the "Roaring Twenties"" The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. 696-745. Print.
McCartin, Joseph A. "Discontented America: The United States In The 1920S." Journal Of American History 87.2 (2000): 712. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 May 2014.
O'Donnell, Jack. "Ladies of Rum Row." Editorial. American Legion Weekly 16 May 1924: 3-8. OldMagazineArticles.com. Old Magazine Articles, 2005.
..., 1820-1865. Columbia Studies in American Culture Series (New York: Columbia University Press, 1942): 13-14.
In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald analyzes three main characters, Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway. The Great Gatsby is a story about finding out who people really are and how far they will go to protect their secrets from spilling to everyone. The Great Gatsby is like a story of our time, we have the rich and the poor towns, we have people who cheat on their spouses, and lastly, we have racism towards different cultures and races (Schreier). Many ironic events take place throughout the book. For example, Gatsby and Nick become friends, Tom and Myrtle being secret lovers, also, Daisy and Gatsby carrying on an affair, and lastly Daisy running over Myrtle in Gatsby’s car (Coleman). Fitzgerald purposely wrote the book to tell about lovers that were not supposed to be together and how they overcame that and fell in love with one another (Shain). He also wrote the book to relate to American society (Tolmatchoff).
F. Scott Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby in order to display the wretchedness of upper-class society in the United States. The time period, the 1920s, was an age of new opulence and wealth for many Americans. As there is an abundance of wealth today, there are many parallels between the behavior of the wealthy in the novel and the behavior of today’s rich. Fitzgerald displays the moral emptiness and lack of personal ethics and responsibility that is evident today throughout the book. He also examines the interactions between social classes and the supposed noblesse oblige of the upper class. The idea of the American dream and the prevalence of materialism are also scrutinized. All of these social issues spoken about in The Great Gatsby are relevant in modern society. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses this novel as an indictment of a corrupt American culture that is still present today.
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.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers. Fitzgerald uses the Roaring Twenties as the setting of this novel. The twenties were a time of promiscuity, new money, and a significant amount of illegal alcohol. Fitzgerald was a master of his craft and there was often more to the story than just the basic plot. He could intertwine political messages and a gripping story flawlessly. In the case of The Great Gatsby, he not only chronicles a love story, but also uses the opportunity to express his opinion on topics such as moral decay, crass materialism, individual ethics, and the American dream.
The 1920’s, or rather known as the roaring twenties, were an exuberant era filled with prohibition, speakeasies, and wild youth. Within this time, the robust economy was booming with stocks increasing rapidly, causing people to get rich quick. During the twenties, life was brilliant with numerous opportunities including changes within politics, women’s rights and racial prejudice.
The Roaring 20's was a time of celebration, but to many the 20's were instead
In 1918 when World War I ended, American society and culture changed immediately after. World War I resulted in the death of nine million soldiers and twenty one million wounded. Families were left mourning the loss of their relatives and people titled World War I as a “war to end all war.” With the nation going through such tragedy, change was bound to happen. During the 1920s there was a change in consumer culture, art, music and literature. So much changed happened during the 1920s that it’s referred to as the roaring twenties. Entertainment was on a rise and the way that Americans were used to living started to change. Along with that came immigration laws that changed American culture as well.
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.
As a nation coming out of a devastating war, America faced many changes in the 1920s. It was a decade of growth and improvements. It was also a decade of great economic and political confidence. However, with all the changes comes opposition. Social and cultural fears still caused dichotomous rifts in American society.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of production, it was the age of destruction, it was the epoch of nativism, it was the epoch of racism, it was the season of skepticism, it was the season of anti-communism, it was the spring of gain, it was the winter of loss – in short, it was the 1920's. Indeed, the decade of the 1920s was a truly “roaring” and prosperous time, but at the same time, it was a period of chaos and conflict. The events that happened during this decade influenced the world as we know it today. More importantly, the thought that the 1920’s was an era of major change in the United States, both positive and negative, is indeed fascinating and it deserves thorough examination.
Wukovits, John F., ed. America's Decades: The 1920's. San Diego: Greehaven Press Inc., 2000. Print.
Quantity over Quality: The Great Gatsby is a short novel written by Scott Fitzgerald. It is set in the 1920’s, and like Fitzgerald, the novel is fervently identified with the Jazz age. The Jazz age was a time of self-indulgence squeezed between World War I and the Great Depression. The theme throughout the novel is recognized as the prestigious “American Dream” which holds a strong and honored place in American history. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s parties, the valley of ashes, and love to show that the ideals of the American dream are deteriorating.
The 1920’s were a time of social and technological change. After World War II, the Victorian values were disregarded, there was an increase in alcohol consumption, and the Modernist Era was brought about. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a perfect presentation of the decaying morals of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald uses the characters in the novel--specifically the Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Gatsby’s partygoers--to represent the theme of the moral decay of society.
The Roaring Twenties is considered to be a time of excessive celebration and immense corruption. The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a criticism of American society and its values during this era of history. This criticism is first apparent in the people who go to Gatsby's parties. They get absurdly drunk, do not know who their host is and are rude by excessively gossiping about him. This commentary is also shown in the corruption of the police. Gatsby is able to pay off the police so that the activities going on at his home will go unnoticed and so that he may behave as he wishes. This criticism is finally shown in the corruption of friendship and love, the simple fact being that there is none. People use Gatsby and then throw him away. Fitzgerald's criticism of American society and its values during this time period is first shown in the behaviour of people at Gatsby's parties.