Amanda Krupinski Period 5 2/23/16 The American Dream and the Roaring Twenties The 1920’s was an era of exciting social changes and cultural conflicts. For many Americans, this meant the growth of cities, the rise of a consumer culture, and the upsurge of mass entertainment. Throughout the book, The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald uses rhetorical and literary strategies such as imagery and his diction in these passages in order to convey his theme of the “Roaring 20’s”.
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”.
In Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the perceptions and actions of people were altered because of events from one of the rowdiest periods in American history. The time period in which this novel was written was in the 1920s, which revealed the time of bad manners, new riches , and poverty for the lower classes. The reasons for this change in the younger generation is the fact that World War one recently ended and created a time of opportunity to go from rags to riches such as the case of Gatsby. Yet, this wasn't the story for everyone as seen in the characters Myrtle and Wilson.
The quality of greatness plays a big part in The Great Gatsby hence the title, The Great Gatsby. Everyone perceives greatness differently, but what distinguishes perceived greatness from actual greatness? In The Great Gatsby, Nick determines that Gatsby is great, but there can be a difference between perceived greatness and actual greatness. In the story Nick sees Gatsby as great.
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,
Any average person would desire to be a “Gatsby” who is extremely wealthy, widely idolized, and seemingly impeccable. Indeed, what makes Gatsby great is his lavish lifestyle and self-earned wealth. However, the more one observes Gatsby, the more one realizes that his epithet is incongruous with his actual character. Not only is the major factor that makes him remarkable, wealth, a result of illegal bootlegging, but he seems to contradict his ‘greatness’ in various instances in the novel. This leaves the readers to speculate that the title of the book is ironic as Gatsby is not great because he is too naïve, pursues after a married Daisy and does not achieve the American Dream.
Between World War I and the Great Depression, the 1920’s were unique and special years in American history. The best way to represent that time would be by historian Frederick Lewis Allen providing the historical account of America in the 20’s in Only Yesterday and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed novel, The Great Gatsby. Both of them reflect America in the Twenties by showing lifestyles and behaviors of people who lived in that time. We can follow their beliefs, actions, and morality through the works. While Allen was seeking to capture a decade, F. Scott Fitzgerald did a good job by pointing to the main issues during that time.
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.
The Roaring Twenties happened during the 1920s. It is called the Roaring Twenties because of the ebullient social culture during that time. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is written during the Roaring Twenties. Nick, who is the narrator of the novel, is Gatsby’s neighbor. When Gatsby throws parties, most of the people who come are not invited.
As said by Tuggleb, the setting of “The Great Gatsby” is significant: “The historical context of Fitzgerald’s novel is therefore more than just “important” to its characters and plot; it is essential. Without the increased demand for alcohol and consequent possibility for the bootlegging business, Gatsby would have arguably never been able to obtain his wealth to throw such extravagant parties in order to gain Daisy’s attention and affection.” (College of Charleston). Another explanation for Gatsby’s popularity is the fact that he organises huge parties at his house, he has the money, the alcohol and the location. This makes him the ‘perfect’ example of the American Dream, although in the end it turns out to be not perfect at
We all like to believe that hard work and persistence pays off. The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that includes many themes such as wealth, love, dissatisfaction, and most importantly, the American dream, and how it’s really only a dream. The characters, especially Gatsby, are trying to achieve this dream of a perfect life throughout the entire book. It becomes apparent that instead of reaching the success they desire from the hard work that they put in, they destroy their entire lives and relationships with one another in the process. Unfortunately, this story is not too far off from something that could happen today.
Casandra Salazar Ms. Tobias English III GT 12 January 2017 The Great Gatsby After reading and watching The Great Gatsby, I gathered the dissemblance and alikeness in both the book and motion picture. As written in “The Great Gatsby”, the first example of similarity is that the book has the same theme to the “Roaring 20’s”. In the written book, Fitzgerald described the parties as huge and dramatic, where as in the movie, the directors did a fantastic job translating Fitzgerald’s words into a lavish visual spectacle of booze, sequins, and confetti.
Arguably one of the most complex works of American Literature, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald displays a satirical United States taking place in the early twenties in New York. The roaring twenties often portrayed a happy time immediately following World War 1 however, it gave off a false feeling of joy and many people were truly unhappy. Even though Nick Carraway shows a realistic image of himself, The Great Gatsby encompasses an illusion created in this time period and portrays this image through the atmosphere surrounding the actions of its characters; it ultimately shows a conflict against reality, identical to that to the early 20th century. The Great Gatsby shows the upper class and their habits, which involved: carelessness,
The 1920s is known for the jazz age also called the roaring twenties. In that time America was undergoing lots of changes economically, socially and culturally. One of the major changes that took place was in the fashion. Fitzgerald in his writing shows not only the fashion but also the clothes symbolizes other too. One of the symbols greatly used in the great Gatsby is the symbolization of clothes, how they represent different things at different times.
The Great Gatsby Showcasing The 1920s. The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald represents all sorts of different lifestyles in the roaring twenties. From rags to riches, there is a character for each category. Throughout the 1920s, America went through drastic changes.
