Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is the author of the twentieth century American classic, The Great Gatsby. It is a story of the American dream, settled down in the 1920’s, with issues of the time period being, prohibition, women, class structure, crime, and many more, The Great Gatsby has a taste of each. Fitzgerald incorporated subjects of his time and his very own experiences into the story to portray an era of social and moral values. The 1920’s were a time of breaking morals Class structure and wealth were among the highest pleasures achievable. The 20’s were an era of Jazz; with extravagant music playing throughout all hours of the night. Not only men went to fancy parties, but women as well were invited, sometimes appearing to have no company. Times were changing for women, for they could go out on their own and dress spontaneously. In many occasions throughout the book we get sights of the characters drinking, another big boom of this era; we know that prohibition was an enormous debate about this time as people began to drink more (Fitzgerald). All of this ties together, because Fitzgerald’s vision of the American dream was about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. Were his works for the characters of his book and his readers, or for himself? It is believed that Fitzgerald incorporated his life situations and emotions into his stories.
In fact Frederick Lewis Allen 's book, Only Yesterday in 1931, it states that only, “Three years between from 1924 to 1927 there was a leap from 75 to 283.” and they also had, “Knowledge and books for etiquette for those who got rich quick and wanted to get cultured quick.” (Doc.C). The amount of everyday people being millionaires have now almost quadrupled during this time because the stock market was at its peak, But also during the three years, people were living in confusion that money will be waiting for them. So the “new money” generation wants to act as the “old money” since they acquired their wealth in a new manner. They also wanted to fit into their society so that they can feel accepted and treated with the same style of respect. That is, in F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s story, The Great Gatsby it shows that Gatsby told Daisy, “ It took me three years to earn the money that bought it.” and he showed off to Daisy, “ [A] pile of shirts and began throwing them one by one, before us.” (Doc.D). This quote relates to Document C because Gatsby came from the lower class and he believed in the American Dream to make him rich. Gatsby wanted to make the best out of it to show Daisy that he can fit into their society. Materialism is showed in this story because people are really after the objects. In this passage, Daisy is so focused what Gatsby has instead of loving him herself. So by Gatsby being rich, he managed to get Daisy but not her heart since she does not know how to live with money. Getting rich can give anyone the world but, if there are no special connections, then it is all superficial and it means
In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses many differnt retorical devices to add a personal flare to his work. He uses diction, symbolism, and irony to adress many different themes. These themes include Materialism, The American Dream, and includes a sharp and biting ridicule on American society in the 1920’s.
The 1920’s was a very interesting time in United States history. After all World War I had ended and many Americans did not realize that the Great Depression was in the near future, so the 1920’s fell between these two dramatic events. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby teaches many morals, but none more important than the duality of the 1920’s. Duality is evident in Gatsby's dreams, his death, his lover Daisy, his wealth, and his parties, which all reflect the duality of the 1920’s. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald makes the concept of achieving the American dream seem improbable. Gatsby has the American Dream of being successful and wanting to marry the girl of his dreams. However, Fitzgerald argues that The American Dream is a paradox because dreams aren’t supposed to be achieved, and are better off to remain in one’s imagination. For example, Gatsby wants to marry the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Sadly Gatsby sets such a high standard for her that she will never be able to live up to. Gatsby envisions Daisy as the golden girl, and once he put his plan into action, he realizes
The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic 20th century story -that period was also known as the “roaring twenties”- which critiques the vision of the American Dream people in general have. At that time, the idea of a free market, and industrial revolution provided the opportunity for many to seize the market and people were starting to see that they could become rich without having any type of restriction. New York city was the centre of this wealth-creating society. After the war, this movement generated new opportunities and ambitions for people wanting to start a wealthy upper class life. That period of time was all about alcohol, partying, gambling, fashion, and money. The Great Gatsby presents its characters as having living the American Dream. However, it is only a belief; the behaviors they have and decisions they take only leave them with a false perception of life and lifestyle. The Great Gatsby relates to the corruption of the American Dream for those materialistic people who were after money. Fitzgerald reveals the idea of corruption in the American Dream through conditions such as wealth and materialism, power and social status, and relationships involving family and affairs. He uses examples of this corruption to show the reader that people are willing to lie, betray others, and commit crime to be able to live a ‘better and fuller’ life.
After the devastation of World War I, the American people had a revolution in the social standards from traditional views to more modern. The moral compass of people was no longer based on basic religious rules but instead regarded ethics as a relative concept. This venturing out from traditional ways gave the people a door to start the extreme materialism and partying as a way of life. Along with the “roarin” side of the 20s, there also came a group of writers known as the Lost Generation. One of these writers that arose with the Lost Generation was F. Scott Fitzgerald. With his novel The Great Gatsby, the 20s party life is shown along with people who live unsatisfying lives. One of these people is Jay Gatsby, the title character, who is the
In “The Great Gatsby” Fitzgerald presents editorial on an assortment of topics, — equity, control, insatiability, treachery, the American dream. Of the considerable number of subjects, maybe none is more all around created than that of social stratification. The Great Gatsby is viewed as a splendid bit of social discourse, offering a clear look into American life in the 1920s. Fitzgerald deliberately sets up his novel into particular gatherings in any case, at last, each gathering has its own issues to battle with, leaving an effective indication of what a problematic place the world truly is. By making unmistakable social classes — old cash, new cash, and no cash — Fitzgerald sends solid messages about the elitism running all through each stratum of society.
Nick Carraway is man from a wealthy family in Minnesota moving to west egg to learn about the Bond business. Then he gets involved with Mr. Gatsby which then sparks the beginning of the novel. Gatsby then gets involved with the nightmare of the American Dream. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s perfectly as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. This novel shows the lack of social skills in newly made millionaires such as Gatsby that cannot even pick up on an invitation to lunch.
F.Scott Fitzgerald is an American novelist and a short story writer. He is the author of the famous novel “ The Great Gatsby”, which is written in the 1920’s. The period of the 1920’s is well known as the roaring twenties due to lack of morales and the lowering of standards and expectations, people intended just to have a good time not caring about the outcomes of their and how they will effect their lives. Fitzgerald wants to prove in his novel the death of “The American Dream” it’s just a myth.The author of this novel shows the death of the american dream through the events surrounding Gatsby, and Daisy.
In our society, money is seen as the most important factor in decision making and in our overall lives. This is shown throughout all of Fitzgerald’s works and in many of his characters. His stories continually mention the effect that money has on the community. In one of her criticisms, Mary Jo Tate explains that “[Fitzgerald] was not a simple worshiper of wealth or the wealthy, but rather he valued wealth for the freedom and possibilities it provided, and he criticized the rich primarily for wasting those opportunities. He rightly identified that money - both its presence and its absence - does something to people” (1). These ideals reflect what can be seen in all of his literary
During the twenties the economy of the United States was changing greatly. Due to the establishment of the prohibition of alcohol the billionaires were those who would smuggle the goods to society. The Great Gatsby is a novel which portrays the different societies of the United States during the twenties differently. F. Scott Fitzgerald focuses on revealing the types of lives lived by each social group. Throughout the book we are exposed to the marginalization of women and the lower class during the time, since the important individuals in society were the wealthy people who impacted the economy of the country. The reader comes to the realization that the middle class was almost nonexistent since the poor were very poor and the rich were very rich during that era.
Resolution of the story The Great Gatsby starts at chapter 9, after the tragic incident has ended. The chapter opens where Nick has moved back to the west and is reflecting back to the day of the incident. It also unfolds Gatsby’s past through acquaintance with Gatsby’s father, Gatz. After Gatsby’s death, no one else wanted to arrange Gatsby’s funeral and as Nick was the only “real” friend, he decided to take care of the funeral. Many can be seen from chapter 9 that relates to the text such as the green light. With the closing paragraphs, we could see what Fitzgerald was trying to show us though this book. Something that not only relates to the 1920s, but also to our current generation.
The novel, House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, documents the struggles of beautiful Lily Barton as she attempts to both find suitable husband and be accepted into New York City’s elite class during the turn of the nineteenth century. Being a part of this class herself, Wharton uses this novel to comment on the true nature of the rigid social hierarchy that dictated one’s survival during this time period. Using her plethora of different characters as examples, Wharton states that one’s place in this social hierarchy is dictated by the amount of money one has and in order to be accepted into the elite class, one must bend morals to succeed; furthermore, Wharton reveals that despite its innocent and revered exterior, the upper class is made up of
Power, Riches, Revenge. Some people may recognize this quote from a Disney childhood favorite, Cinderella Three: A Twist in Time. Although, most people would recognize these three simple yet powerful words as goals from almost anyone anywhere. Many people want power, but to have power, they need money and in order to have power and money, they need to get rid of their enemies. So when was this goal exemplified? One decade that made this goal was the 1920’s. Today we will star in our movie as we learn about how the 1920’s were exemplified in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. First, we will powder our noses as we talk about alcohol abuse. Then, we will reread our lines as we see how women were treated. Finally, we will get to our places,
Now a lot of people know the Great Gatsby as a novel of the 1920’s and one of the best of it’s time but how accurate is it in that of it’s placement in age.Now people believe the 1920’s was one of the best ages ever in the U.S and “The Great Gatsby” gives people a look into that but does “The Great Gatsby” really show the historic point of 1920’s.There are 2 authors F. Scott Fitzgerald the author of “The Great Gatsby” and Frederick Lewis Allen who wrote “Only Yesterday” we’ll be comparing Allen’s facts on the 1920’s and Fitzgerald’s aspect of the 1920’s.We’ll be address 3 points in the 1920’s Disillusionment, Rise of New Money, and Business V.S God and compare a book of fiction and a book of facts and prove the question “Does the Great Gatsby reflect America in the 1920’s”.So what I’m explain is I believe that the Great Gatsby reflects America in the 1920’s.