Urban Culture In The Great Gatsby
The 1920s was a time of profound political and social change. America’s economy was booming following the Great war and the country emerged as a new World superpower. This surge of wealth along with the advancements in technology swept American’s into a consumer society; sports, music, and film all became important aspects of American pop culture during the 1920s. American pop culture was synonymous with Urban culture; during the 1920s, people relocated to large cities such as New York and Chicago, and this emerging Urban society created a new way of life that was vastly different from rural America, traditional norms were challenged as a new age of self-expression and indulgence took over American culture. Just as westward expansion brought …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, reflects the jaded attitudes of the lost generation and the novel proves to be a criticism of America’s aristocracy and the excess of lavish living and lack of morality that overcame people during the 1920s. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a Midwestern guy who represents the lost generations aversion to materialism and decadence, and Carraway tells the story of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby was one of the top socialites in New York and would throw huge extravagant parties in his huge mansion; he represented the American Dream, coming from humble beginnings Gatsby serves in the Great War and worked his way into wealth so he can live a better life and impress the love of his life, Daisy. The story is filled with adultery, excess drinking during the time of Prohibition, and greed. The frivolous and unrestrained living that the majority of the characters participated in reflected sentiments about the Lost Generation’s lost identity and inability to find a purpose in life or to have goals to strive towards; morality was cast aside and self-indulgence was most important during this time. Despite Gatsby’s rise to fame and fortune, in the end it didn’t matter, the reckless life that he and Daisy and her husband lived had consequences that he ended up paying for—Carraway realized this and decided to leave the fast life associated with urban life in the 1920s
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