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The American Dream 1914-1945
Lost generation literary works
WW1 implications on american society
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It was understood that the American Dream was that of a theory of achieving a goal of being a successful person was only through the act of hard work, determination, and persistence. Toward the end of the First World War, America’s mindset started to shift from the impact from the brutality of the war. When the war ended in 1918, the better part of the nation felt the devastation and alienation caused from the war. The faith in the American Dream was eroding quickly. Society discovered that honor and courage would not protect them in the war as they once thought. All that the American Dream stood for began to shake. In the war, it seemed, the power-thirst and selfish people were rewarded rather than the people who actually made an effort to do the good for all of the people. World War One was clarification to society that the American Dream did not match the twentieth century philosophy. Gertrude Stein, a former author during the Lost Generation, made the comment to another author creating the term herself, “The Lost Generation”. Stein chose the phrase supposedly to signify the lost values and beliefs to the generation of people. The Lost Generation includes authors who had become of age just after the First World War. This generation was raised on the ideas and values of the American Dream yet were the first generation to experience society’s morals being challenged and destroyed. Attempting to make sense of the altering world around them, the authors of the Lost Generation tried looking for new ways of thinking. Because of this reaction, it caused a turning point in American Literature. The works that developed from the aftermath reflected the cynicism and disillusionment experienced during the war. Because of these new ide... ... middle of paper ... ...nd is even a sports hero in sorts! However, Tom seemingly has his own version of the American Dream. Tom is very judgmental, along with much of the upper class, and discriminates against race. “Civilization’s going to pieces [says Tom]. I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things… The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged… It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (Fitzgerald 13). Works Cited “American Literature.” Infoplease. Infoplease, 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/entertainment/american-literature-the-lost-generation-after.html. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "Chapter I." The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1925. N. pag. Print Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "Chapter V." The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1925. N. pag. Print
Gibb, Thomas. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby" The Explicator Washington: Winter 2005. Vol. 63, Iss.3; Pg. 1-3
Trask, David F. "A Note on Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." University Review 33.3 (Mar. 1967): 197-202. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London: Penguin Books, 1990.
The syll Works Cited Dexheimer, Melissa, Lauren Locke and Mosang Miles. " Student Led Seminar Presentation and Summary" Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. "Chapter 7." The Great Gatsby. New York, NY:
Fitzgerald, F.Scott. The Great Gatsby (London: Alma Classics, 2012) The Great Gatsby first published in 1925
Americans in the 1920s were fresh off of World War I and freshly into the Prohibition Era. The American Dream was well defined- a life of wealth, comfort, and exuberance. After a World War I victory, the Dream was thought to be in the near future for every American. The country was seen as a world superpower, wealthy after the devastation of a war fought entirely overseas and brimming with hope and possibility- at least on the surface. Despite the highs experienced by much of the country, it wasn't without its problems. Crime violence was benevolently running the streets and the Speakeasies beyond the reach of full Prohibition, the world was being set-up for The Great Depression, and America was brimming with members of the "Lost Generation." This generation and the hypocrisies and idiosyncracies of the "American Dream" inspired a rising and influential set of artists, poets and writers, and a list of best-selling books that both reflected and inspired the generation that devoured them. Authors such as Ernest Hemingway, Edith Wharton, Anita Loos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sinclair Lewis were some of the popular fiction authors of the 1920s who both entertained and delighted their readers, while also offering an intelligent reality check about the limits and realities of the American Dream.
middle of paper ... ... Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
Eble, Kenneth. "The Structure of The Great Gatsby." F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc. 1963. 89-94
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print. The.
Comparing the perspective of the American dream in the 1920’s to the American Dream in the 1940’s and present day seems to be a repeating cycle. The American dream is always evolving and changing. The American dream for present day is similar to the dream of the 1920’s. An Ideal of the American life is to conform to what our society has determined is success. Money, materialism and status had replaced the teachings of our founding fathers in the 1920’s. A return to family values and hard work found its way back into American’s lives in the 1940’s. The same pursuit of that indulgent lifestyle that was popular in the roaring twenty’s has returned today for most Americans, many Americans are living on credit and thinking that money and the accumulation of material items can solve all problems. Through film, literature, art and music, an idealized version of what it means to be an American has changed from money, materialism, and status of the 1920s to hard work and family values of the forties.
What is the American Dream, and who are the people most likely to pursue its often elusive fulfillment? Indeed, the American Dream has come to represent the attainment of myriad of goals that are specific to each individual. While one person might consider a purchased home with a white picket fence her version of the American Dream, another might regard it as the financial ability to operate his own business. Clearly, there is no cut and dried definition of the American Dream as long as any two people hold a different meaning. What it does universally represent, however, it the opportunity for people to seek out their individual and collective desires under a political umbrella of democracy.
When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It
The post World War II period had an enormous impact on American society and literature. Many important events occurred and affected directly the movement of American literature. During this period, American Literature reflected the movement of disillusionment, and portrayed the lost generation. Many WWII writers adapted new approaches and philosophies in writing their novels. They portrayed the lost generation, an anti-war perspective and explored the true meaning of “war hero”.