The Roaring Twenties was an age of prosperity, revenue, and glamor. After years of war and debt, the market bounced back in full swing, making the sought after American Dream finally possible as cash flowed into the wallets of the newly rich. Technology and other advancements made everything bigger, brighter, better; yet there was still a sense of disillusion and prejudice in this shining post-war world. F. Scott Fitzgerald captures the excitement of the era, as well as its shortcomings, in his novel The Great Gatsby. Through the tale of the newly rich and mysterious Jay Gatsby and his love for well bred socialite Daisy Buchanan, he tells the story that lay underneath the glittering Jazz Age, one about the preconceptions and injustices that …show more content…
Gatsby lives in a mansion in West Egg, across the bay from Daisy’s home in East Egg. Nick Carroway notices the distinction between the two when he becomes Gatsby’s neighbor, describing West Egg as “the--well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them” (5). Fitzgerald emphasizes the disconnection between the rich and the poor with his description of the ominous differences between the two places, further stranding Gatsby in the midst of the lower class. The physical separation from Daisy while Gatsby resides in West Egg symbolizes the distance he still needs to cross to become a part of the monied elite. While he is now rich and influential in New York City and around the country, he still comes from a poverty-stricken past, exiling him to West Egg while Daisy’s old money family lives across the bay. When Nick Carroway returns from dinner with Tom and Daisy in East Egg, he catches a glimpse of Gatsby for the first time. He sees him stretch “out his arms toward the dark water, and. . .I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily, I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away” (20). Gatsby links the green light to Daisy’s love, and therefore his ambitions to be considered wealthy by the upper class, for he considers Daisy as the final step to a prosperous life. As he reaches out for the green light and the person that lives just beyond it, he tries to reunite with Daisy and complete his vision for his future and effectively seal off the past. However, the caesura suggests that he still has a formidable distance to cross before he realizes those fantasies. Once reunited with Daisy, Gatsby and Nick comment on the
The year 1925 landed in the middle of the roaring twenties. In the 1920’s, a lot of things happened such as the prohibition of alcohol, social change where more people lived in the cities, and the overall boom of wealth as the economy grew. This change in the lifestyle of the people sparked a decade of riches. Once accumulating every dollar after dollar, millionaires bought mansions to throw extravagant parties, galas and balls to impress the rich, the richer, and the richest. Not only did money play an important part of this era, but literature also had a significant and vital role. One of the numerous writers was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Wanting to capture the twenties in its midst, Fitzgerald wrote the literary classic, The Great Gatsby. The
The Great Gatsby displays how the time of the 1920s brought people to believe that wealth and material goods were the most important things in life, and that separation of the social classes was a necessary need. Fitzgerald’s choice to expose the 1920s for the corrupt time that it really was is what makes him one of the greatest authors of his time, and has people still reading one of his greatest novels, The Great Gatsby, decades
The Roaring Twenties was a time of excitement for the American people, with cities bustling with activity and a large community that appreciated Jazz, thus creating the title the “Jazz Age.” The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place in this magnificent age characterized by Jazz and the popular new dance, the “Charleston.” Through the midst of all this new activity, we follow a character named Jay Gatsby through the eyes of the narrator, Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald’s themes of friendship and The American Dream is seen in The Great Gatsby through Nick and Jay’s companionship and Gatsby’s growth from being a simple farm boy to becoming a wealthy man.
The two were young lovers who were unable to be together because of differences in social status. Gatsby spends his life after Daisy acquiring material wealth and social standing to try and reestablish a place in Daisy’s life. Once Gatsby gains material wealth he moves to the West Egg where the only thing separating he and Daisy is a body of water. It is through the eyes of Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, that the reader gains insight into the mysterious Jay Gatsby. In Nick’s description of his first encounter with Gatsby he says, “But I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.” The reader soon discovers that the green light is at the end of Daisy’s dock, signifying Gatsby’s desperation and desire to get her back. Gatsby’s obsessive nature drives him to throw parties in hopes that his belonged love will attend. The parties further reveal the ungrasping mysteriousness of Gatsby that lead to speculations about his past. Although the suspicions are there, Gatsby himself never denies the rumors told about him. In Nick’s examination of Gatsby he says, “He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself.” This persona Gatsby portrays shows how he is viewed by others, and further signifies his hope and imagination
“They were the best of times; they were the worst of times.” This quote from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens can be used to sum up the hustle and bustle that consisted of American life in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a novel of love, loss, false hope and broken dreams is rightly set in the post-World War era of the “Roaring Twenties.” Here, the wealthy were seen as blessed and favored, while the poor were considered to be wicked, sinful, or even cursed. Mixing between the social classes was rare and looked down upon. Thus, springs the reason why Gatsby had to cheat his way to material wealth in order to win his real prize, Daisy’s love. The Great Gatsby could be referred to as a satirical criticism of the American lifestyle that showed the risks some would undergo for fame and fortune, even unto death.
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.
The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald was written in a unique and intellectual way using three devices providing the readers with detailed descriptions, emotions and creativity capturing the American Dream. They are Diction, Syntax, and connotation, Fitzgerald 's word choices and arrangement of the sentences using this devices put an image in our mind to how the Jazz Age use to be back then. The author was able to recreate Jazz Age or the roaring 20s is when wealthy people spend their money on alcohol, material things that will not last a long time in the novel in order to enhance the aspect of the American Dream back then and in current human society. His figurative language throughout Great Gatsby captures images appealing to
Considered as the defining work of the 1920s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925, when America was just coming out of one of the most violent wars in the nation’s history. World War 1 had taken the lives of many young people who fought and sacrificed for our country on another continent. The war left many families without fathers, sons, and husbands. The 1920s is an era filled with rich and dazzling history, where Americans experienced changes in lifestyle from music to rebellion against the United States government. Those that are born into that era grew up in a more carefree, extravagant environment that would affect their interactions with others as well as their attitudes about themselves and societal expectations. In this novel, symbols are used to represent the changing times and create a picture of this era for generations to come. The history, settings, characters, and symbols embedded in The Great Gatsby exemplify life in America during the 1920s.
In the aftermath of World War I, the 1920s twinkled on the horizon with the promise of hope. Bookended by the epidemic of 1920 and the The Wall Street crash of 1929, the decade was a time of decadence, frivolity, and escape. Rich or poor, people lived in the moment, loved anything new and the young partied like there was no tomorrow. A readers look into the decade can be found in the era's greatest memoir: The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald. F. Scott Fitzgerald applied the social and political issues of the 1920's and its innumerable characteristics to enhance the plot of The Great Gatsby.
Gatsby moves to West Egg so that he can watch “the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock” (180) which represents the wonder of Daisy and the future that he so badly wants with her. The green light is so blinding to Gatsby that he does not realize that Daisy is no more than a vision that he has made up for her. To him, the wonder of Daisy is his past, present, and future. Even though Daisy is no more than an image made up by the delusions of Gatsby’s wonder, when he is reunited with her, “he literally glowed; without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room” (89). Daisy’s enchanting and wondrous voice is reflected in Gatsby’s glowing appearance. The wonder that Gatsby feels is so strong that it is visible on his body. When they are reunited, his body and mind are completely overcome by Daisy’s wonder. When they are together, Gatsby cannot control his actions or his sense of reality because in Daisy’s “actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real” (91). Even though Daisy married Tom and did not wait for Gatsby, he is still completely taken by Daisy because of the wonder that she bestows on him. His wonder is so deceptive that he believes in the Daisy who is a figment of his imagination. Gatsby believed in “the green light, the orgastic future” (180) to such an extent that he was unable to see the reality of Daisy before his
F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, captures a fine description of how life was in America during the Jazz Age. The Jazz Age signaled an end to traditional American values and a movement towards new ones. The purpose of The Great Gatsby was to show how traditional American values were abandoned and how the pursuit and desire for wealth could lead to the downfall of one’s dreams and goals in life. Happiness obtained from money is only an illusion, money has the power to corrupt and obscure one’s mind and lead one down the path of failure and misery. By using symbolism, imagery, and character personalities and traits, F. Scott Fitzgerald manipulates language to fulfill the purpose of The Great Gatsby.
Hugh Hefner once said, “I looked back on the roaring Twenties, with its jazz, 'Great Gatsby' and the pre-Code films as a party I had somehow managed to miss.” The parties of the Roaring Twenties were used to symbolize wealth and power in a society that was focused more on materialism and gossip than the important things in life, like family, security, and friends. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanan as the epitome of the era. The reader sees these characters acting selfishly and trying to meddle with others’ lives. On the other hand, Nick Carraway, the narrator, acts more to help others and act honestly. Initially the reader sees Carraway’s views towards Jay Gatsby as negative as Gatsby’s actions are perceived as being like the Buchanan’s. As the novel moves forward, the reader notices a change in Carraway’s attitude towards Gatsby. Carraway sees Gatsby for whom he truly is, and that is a loving person who only became rich to win Daisy’s heart. But in this the reader also sees how corrupt and hurtful Gatsby’s actions were to the love of his life. Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy reveals that just as Gatsby’s dream of wooing Daisy is corrupted by illegalities and dishonesty, the “American Dream” of friendship and individualism has disintegrated into the simple pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure.
The 1920’s were a time of social and technological change. After World War II, the Victorian values were disregarded, there was an increase in alcohol consumption, and the Modernist Era was brought about. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a perfect presentation of the decaying morals of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald uses the characters in the novel--specifically the Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Gatsby’s partygoers--to represent the theme of the moral decay of society.
The Roaring Twenties is considered a time of mass corruption and excessive absurdity. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his novel, The Great Gatsby, to criticize the American society and its values in this era. This criticism is best shown in the behaviour of the people who go to Gatsby's parties; they are careless, rude and only looking out for themselves. It is also shown in the corruption of the police, who are easily paid to look the other way. It is finally apparent in the corruption of friendship and love, the truth being that there is none. This society and its values are self-centered and materialistic, caring very little for consequences and others. Fitzgerald's message is delivered magnificently and causes one to be appalled by the behaviour of the people during this time in history.
nela Sljoka Casperson 5 AP English 3 28 January 2015 The Reflection of the Roaring Twenties in The Great Gatsby The Roaring 20’s or the Jazz Age is memorable for many Americans in terms of big achievements in many aspects of people’s lives and their American dreams. However, there are multiple points that reveal undertones of roughness and superficiality, which eventually lead to disillusionment. The Great Gatsby echoes with era depictions of the 1920s and portrays the contrast between traditional and corrupted values which are made prevalent through relations and descriptions of the characters, the theme of the novel, and the setting as a whole. Fitzgerald lived in the time after WWI where the novel takes place; American life had major changes, the people started to become more materialistic, women obtained the right to vote, parties became a typical routine, but most importantly the desire for the American Dream was in full swing. In the Roaring 20’s, people wanted to obtain money by any means, assuming it would bring them a considerable amount of joy.