You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you The 19th Amendment, passed in 1919, officially gave women the right to vote in the United States. This paper discusses these aspects as essential constituents of 1920s American culture as revealed in The Great Gatsby. Another social development wasthe new flapper style. Ed. It was full of moneythat was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it. Fitzgerald positions the characters of The Great Gatsby as emblems of these social trends. . Another post-WWI developmentwas the Harlem Renaissance, acultural, social, and artistic flowering among African Americans that took place in Harlem, NY, during the 1920s. Artists from that time include W.E.B. The Great Gatsby is regarded as a brilliant piece of social commentary, offering a vivid peek into American life in the 1920s. The first nickname points toAmerica's post-WWIeconomic prosperity and the country's greater influence abroad. As Caraway describes the nature of Gatsbys parties, it is clear that even though Americans enjoyed prosperity that was associated with the jazz age, they also feared its social implications. This situation created opportunities to satisfy the undying appetite for consumption, opulence, and immorality. Gatsby suffers the most from the promise of social mobility inherent to the American Dream. It was a decade of tremendous wealth in the United States following the deprivations of the First World War. Money (or the lack of it!) The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. For instance, inThe Great Gatsby, it's taken for granted that the Jewish gangster Meyer Wolfshiem would need the WASP-y face of Jay Gatsby to make some of his deals, since Wolfshiem wouldn't have been allowed to join or participate important political and business networks. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-novel-the-great-gatsby/, IvyPanda. Since speakeasies were already side-stepping the law, they also became places where people of different races and genders could mix and mingle in a way they hadnt previously while enjoying new music like jazz. By Matthew Walther Mr. Walther is the editor of The Lamp, a Catholic literary journal, and a . The sheer number of the party participants implies that the 1920s American culture was characterized by indiscriminate spending in an increasing number of products that were availed for sale by the rising manufacturing capacity of the nation. Curious to see how much Daisy and Myrtle's struggle for more echoes the lives of real women? SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. He tells Tom Buchanan after finding out about Myrtle's affair that he plans to move her West, but he "[needs] money pretty bad" in order to make the move (7.146). Historical Context Essay: The Great Gatsby and the Jazz Age, Literary Context Essay: Modernism & Realism in The Great Gatsby. The idea is straightforward: greater income . However, the quest for contentment changed with time to become the search for wealth through excessive insatiability. Like his fellow modernists, Fitzgerald was deeply critical of the wealth and capitalist success ushered in by the post-war boom, considering the new obsession with money and status shallow. Fitzgerald portrays the newly rich as being vulgar, gaudy, ostentatious, and lacking in social graces and taste. George Wilson, in contrast, is constrained by his lack of wealth. The theme of The Great Gatsby is decadence and the decline of society. This combination of restlessness and resentment puts them on the path to the tragedy at the end of the book. You can read more about the American Dream for details on The Great Gatsby's ultimately skeptical, cynical attitude towards this classic American ideal. Daisy maintains her "old money" status by marrying a very rich man, Tom Buchanan, and ultimately sticks with him despite her feelings for Gatsby. Interested in the other ways that The Great Gatsbyera matters to the plot of the novel? Writers are products of their time, so knowing what they would have assumed to be true makes reading their work richer. For instance, rumors exist that Gatsby is involved in the importation and ferrying of illegal liquor amid the existing ban. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? She was not able to endure being at a disadvantage, and given this unwillingness, supposedly she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was unusually young in order to keep that fresh insolent smile turned to the world, and yet satisfy the demands of her hard jaunty body (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 63). The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. Although the story is told with grace and beauty, its events are intended to be shocking. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Zeitz, Joshua. The characters Fitzgerald portrays represent distinct social groups who ultimately face their own struggles, demonstrating how uncertain the culture of the 1920s really was. Suddenly with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. However, even though Gatsby succeeds in acquiring wealth, he is never accepted by the upper class. Read More. Fitzgerald, Scott, and Matthew Bruccoli. Jordan Baker is the best example of this kind of woman. We touched on this a bit with the quotes, but all of the characters can be analyzed from the point of view of their wealth and/or how materialistic they are. This marked a shift both in how black culture was understood and appreciated by the rest of the country and in how womens rights were progressing, as well discuss in the next sections. That was it. Development Arrested. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. Cars also now created a totally new danger, particularly in combination with alcohol consumption. . F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Age of Excess. For the first three years, the U.S. remained neutral, instead profiteering from the war by selling supplies toboth sides of the conflict. Thus, possession of material wealth was important for the placement of people in a given social class and status. Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Gatsby never stands a chance of succeeding with his attempt to win back Daisy, who is a part of that society and of a different status. Fitzgerald himself waspart of a circle of modernists who regularly met inParis (others included Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Sinclair Lewis, and the painters Picasso and Matisse). So while Daisy is materialistic and is drawn to Gatsby again due to his newly-acquired wealth, we see Gatsby is drawn to her as well due to the money and status she represents. Subscribe now. He gets wrapped up in Gatsby's dreams and his cousin's difficult marriage, all while learning about the pitfalls of wealth and the truth of the American dream. As such, theGreat Gatsby era is theperiod in 20th century U.S. history nicknamed both the Roaring 20s and the "Jazz Age." Don't leave your college application to chance. In fact, during Chapter 8 when we finally get a fuller recap of Daisy and Gatsby's early relationship, Nick notes that "It excited [Gatsby] too that many men had already loved Daisyit increased her value in his eyes" (8.10). The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. board with our, See Sometimes it can end up there. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The 1920s marked a key time of change in the social status of women as so called flappers defied the traditional norms for conduct and dress, and women finally received the right to vote (The Great Gatsby Novels 74). In other words, Gatsby loves Daisy's "value" as an in-demand product. This revelation marks a society that embraces and protects a culture of impunity that is driven by both greed and erosion of social morals in the 1920 American society. Gatsbys house that was located in the seashore was characterized by immense lavishness and luxury. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Despite society's changing nature, the world still hasn't accepted Jordan as an independent person. Getting a deeper grasp of character. World War I dramatically affected the United States in the 1920s (and, of course, shaped much of the 20th century all over the world as well). Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Ask questions; get answers. These practices gave rise to a culture of immorality, which opposed the traditional moral and social norms of the past generations. Daisy Packs Her Bag. London Review of Books 22.18(2000): 13-15. Inspired by the devastation of WWI, writers in The Lost Generationembraced a cynical view of human nature. In fact, it seems that the accident may have brought them closer. Some of the rumors swirling around Gatsby point to how fresh the war was in everyone's mind (that he was a German spy during the war, or that he is related to Kaiser Wilhelm, who ruled Germany during the war). The Great Gatsby reflects the emergence of a culture of increased consumerism that is driven by increased economic prosperity. Similar to Wolfsheims unethical lifestyle, the character of Tom Buchanan also proves to reflect the judgmental attitudes of several biased and racist people in the novels era with his claims that civilization is going to pieces and if we dont look out, the white race will be. As an example, let's look briefly at Myrtle. Or, zoom out toa summary of The Great Gatsby, along with links to all ourgreat articles analyzing this novel! As Nick continues to realize, although the East appears to glitter with fascinating opportunities and excitement, it lacks the strong moral values encompassed in those like himself from the Midwest. Women were granted the right to participate in voting. The culture of the wealthy Americans represented in the novel was defined mainly by consumerism and excessive Fitzgeralds characters that each selfishly overcome different hardships with corrupt solutions represent the immoral mindset of success-hungry people in the 1920s proving that the culture of Fitzgeralds time was accurately mirrored in his novel. . Upon renouncing his parents, Gatsby is considered a child of a supernatural being (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 98), with the only thing that he believes in being money. Free trial is available to new customers only. The overindulgence is perhaps well reflected in The Great Gatsby in Gatsbys parties that are analogous to those that were thrown by the American youths in the 1920s. .. tterly submerged (Fitzgerald 13). What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? IvyPanda. Samkanashvili, Maya. True to the spirit of the times . Why does Gatsby arrange for Nick to have lunch with Jordan Baker? Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. The ideals of love and marriage are profoundly strained in The Great Gatsby, a book that centers on two loveless marriages: the union between Tom and Daisy Buchanan and between George and Myrtle Wilson. Nick's connection to Daisy in turn makes him attractive to Gatsby. When Nick Carraway, narrator of The Great Gatsby, . In the opening pages, Nick establishes himself as someone who has had many advantages in lifea wealthy family and an Ivy League education to name just two. Jordan temporarily flouts expectations by ""[running] around the country," (1.134) playing golf, and not being in a hurry to marrya freedom that she is allowed because of her money, not in spite of it. Cars are tools of recklessness, danger, and violence - there are several car accidents in the novel, the most notable of which is when Daisy runs Myrtle over and kills her in. Even though he wasn't able to inherit any part of Cody's fortune, he used what he learned of wealthy society to first charm Daisy before shipping out to WWI. The Great Crash and the Onset of the Great Depression. Quarterly Journal of Economics 10.5 (1990): 597-625. They were careless people, Tom and Daisythey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. Women who were never contented with pleasure wore knee-length skirts, overly long draping necklaces, and rolled stockings (Leader 14). No one has time to read them all, but its important to go over them at least briefly. Print. A prime example of such an immoral character is Meyer Wolfsheim who, as Gatsby nonchalantly stated, fixed the World Series back in 1919 (Fitzgerald 73); the character of Wolfsheim acts as a representation of the man who was actually responsible for the crime, Arnold Rothstein. The rising immorality also explains the cultures of loosening morals in The Great Gatsby. This situation is well supported by the fact that after the party and with additional of extra workers, Gatsbys gardeners toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden shears, repairing the ravages of the night before (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 121). Jordan is incurably dishonest. What Does The Great Gatsbys Ending Mean? Entire Document, Comparison: Great Gatsby and the American Dream, The Great Gatsby and the 'American Dream', The Great Gatsby: The Fall of the American Dream, Contradictions in the culture of the period, Flappers and self-made men as new people of the period, Prohibition of alcohol and Gatsby as a bootlegger, The price for reaching the American Dream, How the novel mirrors the corrupt mindset of the Roaring Twenties. Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed . New York, NY: Institute of American History, 2005. However, while Nick is wealthy, he is nowhere near as wealthy as the Buchanans or Gatsbyhe expresses surprise both that Tom is able to afford bringing ponies from Lake Forest ("It was hard to realize that a man in my own generation was wealthy enough to do that" (1.16), and that Gatsby was able to buy his own mansion ("But young men didn'tat least in my provincial inexperience I believed they didn'tdrift coolly out of nowhere and buy a palace on Long Island Sound" (3.88)), despite the fact they are all about 30 years old.
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