The Jazz Age Explored in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

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In the past century in America, one of the decades that has stood out most as a time of change is the 1920s. In a post-war economic boom, the decade was a time of cultural and societal change. Among the parties and the more relaxed way of life, Americans experienced new wealth and luxury. Capturing the essence of the Roaring Twenties is a daunting task, especially because of the many different factors contributing to the decade’s fame. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald managed to capture and define the spirit of the 1920s through his novel. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the characters and events of the novel manifest the trademark qualities of America in the 1920s.
In the 1920s, a new genre emerged at the forefront of American music: jazz. A product of the Harlem Renaissance, according to “The Decade that Roared,” jazz music played a significant role in the changing of American culture and society in the 20’s. This influence would lead to Fitzgerald giving the era its name, “The Jazz Age.” The draw of jazz was its unpredictability due to improvisation; the great jazz musicians were able to play to the mood and the spirit of the crowd. This meant that no two performances were ever the same. Because of this, jazz musicians drew great audiences and inspired new dances. The wildness of the music sparked a new feeling among those who listened and danced to it. Like the music, a new American culture emerged, one of spontaneity and thoughtlessness (“The Decade that Roared” 5). This new, wild phenomenon is mirrored in the seemingly endless parties at Gatsby’s mansion. In The Great Gatsby, Nick, during his first experience at one of these parties, remarks that the behavior at said parties is reminiscent of an amusement park (Fitzgerald 44)....

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...at characters create for themselves and the means by which they solve them serve as a way for Fitzgerald to exemplify the decade’s signature qualities while simultaneously criticizing them. Although it was a time of improvements in the way of life for all Americans, along with that came a certain moral decadence. In a new sense of comfort and thoughtlessness, a contempt for law and order, and a desire for wealth, the Jazz Age marked a crucial turning point in America, captured precisely by Fitzgerald.

Works Cited

"The Decade That Roared." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
Batchelor, Bob. Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel. Print.
Zeitz, Joshua. "The Roaring Twenties." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

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