Getting to Know Fitzgerald through his Works

People tend to reflect their life experiences through the actions people perform everyday. This is commonly seen in artists, musicians and authors, who use their work as a way of expressing themselves. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby uses the novel to reflect himself, and his past experiences through several of the main characters. Nick Carraway is written by Fitzgerald as a way of manifesting his own more innocent and kinder side. While Gatsby and the Buchanans are used to show the corruption and faults within himself. The Great Gatsby was written to express FItzgerald's view of the 1920s; not only did it provide social commentary on the corruption of the American Dream, but it also presented insight into Fitzgerald's life.

Although Fitzgerald’s time period was a deeply influential time, it is undisputed that one of the most resounding events of the time was The Great War. The Great War known as the first man-made catastrophe of the 20th century lasted from 1914-18 (PBS 1). The Great War, also known as World War I had its unofficial start on June 28, 1914 through the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist. Set primarily in Europe, The Great War introduced the world to devastating weapons and tactics, such as the use of chemical gas and heavy artillery. The Great War is classified as a total war due to the fact that all civilians as well as military personnels were considered targets by the enemy. By 1917, The Great War had quickly turned into a stalemate, resulting in nether side advancing or retreating. This was contrary to the beliefs of both sides, who believed that the war would be over by Christmas of 1914. By the conclusion of the war, 9 million people had died on the battlefield...

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...ns. The Buchanans are created by Fitzgerald to reflect the real life problems of the Fitzgeralds. This is due to the fact that people tend to reflect their experiences in their actions.

Works Cited

Bruccoli, Matthew J. A Brief Life of Fitzgerald. University of South Carolina, 1994. Web. 17 Mar.

2014.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.

"F. Scott Fitzgerald." Famous Authors. Famous Authors, 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

"F. Scott Fitzgerald Additional Papers." . Princeton University, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

"The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

"The Roaring Twenties." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

Willett, Erika. "F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.