F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most influential writers of modern day society. He holds this title because he wrote about things that drive people's everyday life. He wrote in two different periods that were very significant in the social development of America. These two periods of time symbolized not only the generation that he was writing about, but it also speaks to the present day generation.
The first period that he wrote in was called the Jazz Age. The Jazz Age took place in the years between 1920 and 1929. This period of time was also called the Roaring Twenties because this period of time was a time of great economic prosperity for the United States, as it was also a period of great wealth for many private businesses in America. In relation to Fitzgerald, this was a time when was recognized as a great writer and his career took off from there.
The reason why his career took off at this point in time was because he began to write about the American Dream. The American Dream was a representation of what people needed to have a good life. The American Dream had two goals. The first goal is the achievement of professional success or wealth. The second goal of the American Dream is the fulfillment of love. To achieve the American Dream a person must have accomplished both goals. The theme of the American Dream was a representation of Fitzgerald's struggle to get the love of his life Zelda to marry him. Fitzgerald met Zelda while he was in World War I and he fell in love with her. The catch for Zelda, though, was that she would not marry a man that did not make any money. So, after his career took off she finally agreed to marry him.
During the Jazz Age, Fitzgerald wrote a great deal about the America...
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...t exist. He portrays this idea in "Crazy Sunday" by showing his readers the American Dream (Miles and Stella) and then the destruction of the dream (Miles' death) and then finally the realization of the fact that there is no dream (Joel). He uses fantasy in his characters to hide the overall reality of the situation that they are in. This relates to his life because he wanted to escape the utter reality that he had no money and his life was a mess, so he wrote about it. This does not mean that Fitzgerald was a failure. He is a great writer because he wants to help people understand that the American Dream is only a dream and that it is more of a nightmare than a dream because in his stories none of his main characters achieve the dream. Finally, it is safe to say that Fitzgerald, throughout all of his writing believed that the American Dream was only a myth.
The Great Gatsby' is set in the Jazz Age of America, the 1920s which have come to be seen as a bubble of extravagance and affluence which burst with the Wall Street Crash in 1929. Fitzgerald wrote the book in 1925, and in it he explores the fundamental hollowness which characterized the Age as he saw it, and casts doubt upon the very core of American national identity - the American Dream.
Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby has remained a spot-on representation of a time in American history in which the people believed anything was possible. Gatsby is the definition of this idea. The underlying cause of everything in this novel is his--and in essence everyone’s idea. This idea is the ubiquitous notion of the American Dream. And Fitzgerald does not only write about the American Dream, but about its corruption as well. This following quote truly epitomizes what the American Dream had become in the eyes of Fitzgerald:
America is the land with the most dreamers. America is the land of opportunity and equality. In America your dreams can be fulfilled if you work hard to achieve your goals. The American dream to most is, to be wealthy and to be able to afford anything. Wealth is a plus in life because you can afford expensive items that do not necessarily have a use, but it does not necessarily matter how hard you try or how much you spend you can not buy happiness. Although being wealthy can make you seem happy on the outside, on the inside you would not be as happy as you seem. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author shows how being wealthy will not make you happy. Many people have voiced their opinions of the America dream.
It’s been ingrained into the fabric of society that to be truly happy in life, one needs to be wealthy. The characters in The Great Gatsby show this is not always the case, and that wealth is not always as important as one would believe. Society has always placed a significant importance on being rich, being wealthy. It makes one believe that being wealthy is the only true way to live a happy and fulfilling life. With this in mind, many readers are going to look at the characters in The Great Gatsby, such as Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, and fantasize about one day living the lifestyle that they live. While many characters in The Great Gatsby would appear from the outside to be living the American Dream, it what lies underneath this image of
During the 1920s, in the wake of nationwide prosperity, a new social class arose in America, comprised of those who came from humble origins and worked hard to gain significant wealth. As Jennifer Banach puts it, “this prosperity also gave people license to experiment with hedonism and cast off their moral and social responsibilities to pursue their own pleasure” (23). An American who reached for opulence himself, F. Scott Fitzgerald observed these realties first hand. In his short stories, “Winter Dreams” and “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” Fitzgerald expresses the emptiness of the wealthy and criticizes the popular obsession with the American Dream in the 1920s.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's life has been described as a “Tragic example of both sides of the American dream the joys of young love , wealth and success and the tragedies associated with excess and failure. ”(Willet, “The Sensible Things”). The Dominant influences on Fitzgerald and his work were aspiration,literature, Princeton, his wife and alcohol. With the constant fear of death and failure plaguing him his entire life, his literary works and his life accomplishments always seemed to be never good enough and through his life Fitzgerald constantly suffered a constant thought that he had failed to do anything with his life and that his literary works would never go on to be anything that people ever took the time to care about.
The 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In addition, this revolution transformed many of the great writers and authors of the time as well as their various works. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emergent trends of the 1920’s. More importantly the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dream and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive for acquiring the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the authors view on the American dream. Through this, one can hope to disassemble the complex picture that is Fitzgerald’s view of this through the novel. Fitzgerald believes, through his experiences during the 1920’s, that only fractions of the American Dream are attainable, and he demonstrates this through three distinct images in The Great Gastby.
In life most people have some type of obstacle or problem in the way of their path. Just like F. Scott Fitzgerald who had many issues dealing with alcohol and other problems throughout the course of his life. Some of these obstacles were difficult to deal with, so F. Scott Fitzgerald found inspiration through his wife Zelda Sayre, who was reason behind many books. As proof by his willingness to his wife and dedication to his work, leads to conclude F. Scott Fitzgerald was ambitious and goal driven by not only outer surroundings but his ever so important American Dream. Fitzgerald was by far one of the most important classic American authors of the Modern Twentieth Century, creating many of the books that deeply impacted society and the Jazz age as it was in the 1920’s and 30’s. Through many aspects of his life he was unsure of himself but was a very good social talker, very likeable to other people and extremely humble, which was why he became such an important figure of the 1920’s. These adroit qualities played had a huge role, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s need for knowledge and change for inventive human advancement. F. Scott Fitzgerald was not born in Maryland but made a huge difference there with all his novels and short stories, developing the cultures and changing life there for many years to come.
Americans are perpetual dreamers, unwavering optimists, and incessant innovators. We believe in ourselves, we believe in a better world and we believe that we can do anything we put our minds to. Pursuing the American Dream at all costs, economic class, race, and religion are not barriers; we achieve our goals no matter how unattainable they may seem. We are a nation of underdogs who put our heads down and work towards our goals. Dating back to the Revolutionary War, this mentality won us our freedom; we were David and England was Goliath, but we wanted freedom more than they resisted it. Our nation had a dream and it was determined to make it a reality. 250 years later, Americans are just as ambitious as our Founding Fathers. Young people in this country
In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to become happier with their lives. The characters in the novel are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class(West egg and East egg) though the main characters only try to make their lives better, the American dream they are all trying to achieve is eventually ruined by the harsh reality or life.
Despite how impossible it is, every person tries to achieve his or her dream so they can be happy or successful. The American Dream is being more powerful or better than anyone was before. In his stories Fitzgerald argues that this “American Dream” cannot be reached. No matter what it is, be it topping the social ladder, or getting the girl, or just being satisfied with one’s life, it just cannot be reached. There is always something stopping one from achieving one’s dream. Whether it is disadvantages or limitations sprung from social status, or other uncontrollable barriers blocking the dream, it is not something that can ever truly be enjoyed.
Parties, Prohibition, alcohol, and wealth are common aspects that come to mind when thinking about the Roaring 20s. The end of World War I brought about an aura of discovery and desire. Many women became more provocative in their clothing and makeup. These women were known by the term “Flappers.” Authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, began emerging during this time which was also known as “the Jazz Age” (“Roaring Twenties”). The Great Gatsby, considered as one of Fitzgerald’s most famous works, allowed him to portray not only aspects of the Jazz Age, but also the American Dream of many individuals during the 1920s.
The Objectification of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The American Dream is a major in American Literature. According to James Truslow Adams, in his book Epic of America, this dream promises a brighter and more successful future, coupled with a vision based on everybody being equal irrespective of their gender, caste and race. It emphasizes that everyone is innately capable of achieving his or her dreams with hard work. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is portrayed by Jay Gatsby's vision of attaining the social status he desires.
The book starts off with the narrator Nick Carraway. He is from Minnesota and in 1992 he moves to NYC in the summer. He starts by giving us advices that his father told him about not to make fun of people what so ever. Daisy Buchanan is Nick’s cousin; she is married to Tom Buchanan. Jordan Baker is Daisy’s close friend. Daisy Baker falls in love with Nick, and he loves her back. He goes to NYC to study about the bond business.
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was a world renowned author, particularly known for his remarkable novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s early life was filled with experiences that shaped him to be the man that he later became. His early life includes his family and his schooling, both of which gave him values and traditions to follow. Fitzgerald’s later life contained hardships, illness and the production of his own family. The factors involved in his later life aided him in composing his most well-known novels with their influence. Lastly, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s list of works is an important aspect in understanding his life and personality. His novels and short stories were all written at various moments in Fitzgerald’s life, while all have the influence of unique factors surrounding his life. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a successful author whose stories have remained universally read and relevant today.