Behind the Prosperity
From the fast cars, cabarets,extravagant parties,and luxury of the 1920’s, it brought excitement and life back to the United States after World War I. Sadly this lifestyle of comfort and amusement did not last long. The 1920’s was like one of Gatsby’s party in the novel The Great Gatsby. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s parties were filled with wealthy, happy people, and luxurious items.It was as if at the party, the guest were in their own little world. Once all the guest had left, everyone had went back to reality, and faced their problems. The part where everyone left Gatsby’s party was like the hidden cryptic messages the 1920’s hid underneath all the wealth. Although the 1920’s was a
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During the 1920’s not everyone had participated in the consumer economy, especially the minority. Because of the increase in industry, those who worked in an agricultural based environment had suffered, “Despite agricultural overproduction and successive attempts in Congress to provide relief,... an ongoing depression. Large surpluses were accompanied by falling prices at a time when American farmers were burdened by heavy debt” (Poverty in the 1920s). As of the results of the transition from agricultural over to industrial, the wealth was not being equally distributed. Farmers depended on consumers to buy their goods, and due to the transition, the burden and the struggle to pay off debt was left for the farmers to deal with. Going off of that. In “Victimizing the Farmer” the document explains that “ ...for the farmer will never regain prosperity until farm products sell as high with relation to the general price level as before the war”(Capper 5). Subsequently, farmers did not get a part of the riches. They have provided for citizens for ages, and now they no longer are able to have anything to provide for their own …show more content…
After World War I, it left a great impact on the American’s public opinion about foreigners. It brought fear and the rise of discrimination against them. In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, it is set in the 1920’s. The hatred for the other races were apparent when Tom says “It is up to us,who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (Fitzgerald 7). Tom Buchanan is from East Egg which means he was born into wealth. Since he has always been part of the upper class he has always looked down on those who were different in terms of race, and class. It is evident that he has no respect for them, and believes the white are the “superior race”. Based on his remarks ,it can be implied that majority of the 1920’s was characterized by
Money is something that can either be used for the greater good of society, or it can be contorted into something that is detrimental to society, it all depends on whose hands that money happens to fall into. Human tendencies begin to change once people come to have money, the lavish and selfish lifestyle begins. Entitlement comes with having money because money gives people what they want which makes people think they are entitled to get everything they want. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald portrays that money is the root of all problems with can ultimately lead to loneliness and careless behavior.
Through his vivid depiction of the valley of the ashes in the acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald unveils the truth about 1920s America: economic prosperity did not guarantee happiness and resulted in depreciating conditions for those that were not able to connive their way to the top.
The year 1925 landed in the middle of the roaring twenties. In the 1920’s, a lot of things happened such as the prohibition of alcohol, social change where more people lived in the cities, and the overall boom of wealth as the economy grew. This change in the lifestyle of the people sparked a decade of riches. Once accumulating every dollar after dollar, millionaires bought mansions to throw extravagant parties, galas and balls to impress the rich, the richer, and the richest. Not only did money play an important part of this era, but literature also had a significant and vital role. One of the numerous writers was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Wanting to capture the twenties in its midst, Fitzgerald wrote the literary classic, The Great Gatsby. The
Decline of civilization is such a big theme in the Great Gatsby because it underlined the actual causes of the 1920’s. A big cause of the 1920’s was racism and white dominance. In The Great Gatsby Tom is a strong believer in these ideas as seen on page twelve and thirteen. Tom says, “The idea is that if the we don’t look out the white race will be-will be utterly submerged.” He says this about the book The Rise of the Colored Empires written by Goddard. The Bible says that all people should be treated the same but in the 1920’s and before people treat African Americans and Native Americans
Carraway describes the atmosphere as “spilled with prodigality” (Fitzgerald 44). Gatsby’s fills his parties with wasteful extravagances like alcohol, and his efforts toward love end up as futile. The people, instead of appreciating Gatsby, backhandedly gossip about his past as a German spy, and simply partake in the alcohol being served (Fitzgerald 48). Instead of representing the upper echelon’s of 1920s’ society, in contrast to the poor, the party-goers appear weak, superficial, and unworthy of such acclaim, especially when given their tendency to gossip. With this depiction of the partiers, Fitzgerald showcases the hollow nature of 1920s society, lacking in morality and
The Roaring Twenties was a time of excitement for the American people, with cities bustling with activity and a large community that appreciated Jazz, thus creating the title the “Jazz Age.” The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place in this magnificent age characterized by Jazz and the popular new dance, the “Charleston.” Through the midst of all this new activity, we follow a character named Jay Gatsby through the eyes of the narrator, Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald’s themes of friendship and The American Dream is seen in The Great Gatsby through Nick and Jay’s companionship and Gatsby’s growth from being a simple farm boy to becoming a wealthy man.
The roaring twenties were a time for happiness and celebration, but the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, shows a different side of this dynamic decade. Fitzgerald uses a poignant, yet hopeful tone to show the shadier side of the nineteen twenties most refuse to look at, while tying in the brighter side. In The Great Gatsby, the reader is sucked into a story of corruption, and empowerment by the rich hidden by extravagant parties and bright colors. Jay Gatsby, who only dreamt of wealth and love, had an ideal dream life, that ideal life could be defined as his “American Dream”. His dreams were later crushed by very powerful people, careless people, people who used and abused others to get their way, no matter the consequences.
"The Demise of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby – InfoRefuge.com." Info Refuge. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014
The period of the 1920’s was a time of great consumerism, materialistic focus and the establishing of the newly rich, a time period given the name of the roaring twenties for a reason. This period is best portrayed by a historical fiction novel written by an american author F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby”. Through this novel there is a great divide amongst social classes. The high class people are separated into two perspectives, the “new money” and the “old money”. The narrator and one of the main characters of the novel, Nick , introduces the readers to a variety of people from various social classes. Jay Gatsby is the protagonist of the novel and belongs to the new money while Tom Buchanan, his love rival, is a member of the old
“The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the vast social difference between the old aristocrats, the new self-made rich and the poor. He vividly interprets the social stratification during the roaring twenties as each group has their own problems to deal with. Old Money, who have fortunes dating from the 19th century, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The New Money made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth. As usual, the No Money gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving them forgotten or ignored. Such is exemplified by Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson and Tom Buchanan. Their ambitions distinctly represent their class in which Fitzgerald implies strongly about.
... The environment surrounding the people that used to go to weekend parties and celebrations would be changed forever, affecting the lifestyle of everyone and eliminating the ability to hold these festivities. Real citizens lived a life much like the characters of the novel, and they were forced to completely reconsider their lives, financial decisions, and priorities. The issues faced by the novel’s characters were real-life tragedies so many Americans went through at the end of the Roaring Twenties. The Great Gatsby captured these aspects of what the people, places, and events of the 1920s were really like before the Great Depression – the beginning of the end – took hold over the entire country.
In the aftermath of World War I, the 1920s twinkled on the horizon with the promise of hope. Bookended by the epidemic of 1920 and the The Wall Street crash of 1929, the decade was a time of decadence, frivolity, and escape. Rich or poor, people lived in the moment, loved anything new and the young partied like there was no tomorrow. A readers look into the decade can be found in the era's greatest memoir: The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald. F. Scott Fitzgerald applied the social and political issues of the 1920's and its innumerable characteristics to enhance the plot of The Great Gatsby.
Hugh Hefner once said, “I looked back on the roaring Twenties, with its jazz, 'Great Gatsby' and the pre-Code films as a party I had somehow managed to miss.” The parties of the Roaring Twenties were used to symbolize wealth and power in a society that was focused more on materialism and gossip than the important things in life, like family, security, and friends. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanan as the epitome of the era. The reader sees these characters acting selfishly and trying to meddle with others’ lives. On the other hand, Nick Carraway, the narrator, acts more to help others and act honestly. Initially the reader sees Carraway’s views towards Jay Gatsby as negative as Gatsby’s actions are perceived as being like the Buchanan’s. As the novel moves forward, the reader notices a change in Carraway’s attitude towards Gatsby. Carraway sees Gatsby for whom he truly is, and that is a loving person who only became rich to win Daisy’s heart. But in this the reader also sees how corrupt and hurtful Gatsby’s actions were to the love of his life. Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy reveals that just as Gatsby’s dream of wooing Daisy is corrupted by illegalities and dishonesty, the “American Dream” of friendship and individualism has disintegrated into the simple pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure.
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.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, the 1920’s was a “throwaway culture, in which things (and people) are used and then abandoned” (Evans). This is true of the lives of the wealthy elite who ruled the East and West Eggs, causing the domination of materialistic thought. The substitution of money for integrity ultimately provided a way for corruption to take deep roots in the characters. The frivolous lives and relationships described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby depict the emptiness of the shallow 1920’s era.