However, drawing from her work, these prohibitions seemed to have little implications (Zeitz 23). This pessimism is also reflected in the fates of Myrtle and George, who are both trying to increase their wealth and status in America, but end up dead by the end of the novel. The work examines the results of the Jazz Age generation's adherence to false material values. Fitzgeralds illustration of the American Dream within his characters directly echoed the societys high-esteemed qualities of success and delight. Together with the examples of deceit under Prohibition, Fitzgeralds novel was inspired by the corruption of certain Americans during the 1920s as reflected in the actions and deceit used by the major characters he created. Your privacy is extremely important to us. In 1921 to 1924, the American GDP grew from $ 69bilion to about 93 billion (Woods 213). The reckless jubilance that led to decadent parties and wild jazz musicepitomized in The Great Gatsby by the opulent parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday nightresulted ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpassed more noble goals. New York, NY: Institute of American History, 2005. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. Gatsby was born to poor farmer parents in North Dakota, but at 17, determined to become rich, struck out with the wealthy Dan Cody and never looked back (6.5-15). Historical context: the giant arm propping up the baby that is your argument. It was a decade of tremendous wealth in the United States following the deprivations of the First World War. While Gatsby, Myrtle, and George all end up dead, Tom and Daisy get to skip town and avoid any consequences, despite their direct involvement. Read more about how the American Dream is treated in The Great Gatsby and whether the novel is ultimately optimistic or pessimistic about the dream. Nick, meanwhile, dates Jordan Baker throughout the book, and though their relationship has its moments of warmth and kindness, both parties generally seem lukewarm and emotionally distant. High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. Development Arrested. Selling alcohol was accomplished in many ways, including throughspeakeasies - basically, underground social clubs. Obsession In The Great Gatsby And Frankenstein . Summary. What Does The Great Gatsbys Ending Mean? 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. Print. Many of them cannot proactively grasp the concept of working hard to build their material wealth base. We've compiled a list of 15 must-have items for fans of The Great Gatbsy book and movie adaptations. A person from any social background could, potentially, make a fortune, but the American aristocracyfamilies with old wealthscorned the newly rich industrialists and speculators. 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. By continuing well assume you This implied that people had substituted responsibilities that were done by hand such as maintenance with technology such as vacuum cleaners and washing gadgets. Everyone is there for the spectacle alone. (Even if she's not actually engaged, the fact she chooses to tell Nick that suggests she does see engagement as her end goal in life.). In the final chapter, Nick calls Tom and Daisy careless people who smashed up things and . By such suggestions that Gatsby was a product of his culture, Nick is able to praise Gatsby for the integrity of his belief . Almost a century after he was written into being, F Scott Fitzgerald's doomed . creating and saving your own notes as you read. Curious to see how much Daisy and Myrtle's struggle for more echoes the lives of real women? Take the Themes, Motifs, and SymbolsQuick Quiz. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby". (one code per order). "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." and events that occur in the novels plot. The characters Fitzgerald portrays represent distinct social groups who ultimately face their own struggles, demonstrating how uncertain the culture of the 1920s really was. The Great Gatsby takes place during a time that's now known as the Jazz Age or the Roaring 20s. Get professional help from PrepScholar. (1.14). Fitzgerald and Bruccoli reckon, Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game (10). You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you Set in Jazz Age New York, it tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth. When describing Gatsbys parties, Caraways says that there was frequent musical noise emanating for his neighbors house throughout all nights in summer (Zeitz 22). At the time when the novel takes place, the U.S. was in the middle of a tremendous economic boom and a soaring stock market that seemed to be on a permanent upward swing. This so called Black Sox Fix proved to be an enormous scandal in the early twentieth century as Rothstein, Wolfsheim in the novel, was able to get away with committing the crime with clever and crooked smarts while obtaining a large sum of money. . 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. In this phrase, Nick talks about Tom and George upon realizing that their wives are cheating on them and that they had a sort of terminal sickness. ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. Cars are clearly used to display wealth and status - even Tom, normally secure in his superiority, wants to brag to George Wilson aboutthesuper-fancy Rolls Royce heborrows from Gatsby. IvyPanda. on 50-99 accounts. Politically, the women's rights movement next took up the cause of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equal legal rights for women. Jordan is incurably dishonest. Unfortunately, the depression of 1929 led to a loss of such gains (Romer 598). In other words, while he opens the book with his father's advice to remember "all the advantages [he's] had," Nick seems to have a chip on his shoulder about still not being in the highest tier of the wealthy class. Ask below and we'll reply! . The rising immorality also explains the cultures of loosening morals in The Great Gatsby. 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. 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. There are two crucialpieces of background history that you have to know to understand the novel. Our introduction to Tom and Daisy immediately describes them as rich, bored, and privileged. Getting a deeper grasp of character. Ace your assignments with our guide to 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). . Glittering with lyrical prose, F Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel tells the story of 1920s high society in Long Island, the golden age of excess before the Depression. Nick and Gatsby are continually troubled by timethe past haunts Gatsby and the future weighs down on Nick. Scott Fitzgerald mentions in her novel an incident of prohibition of sale and the production of liquor to tame youths who had become overindulged in alcoholism. Daisy and Jordan are both old money socialites, while Myrtle is a working class woman married to a mechanic. Industrial Market Structure and Economic Performance. Despite not being as wealthy as Tom and Daisy, his second cousin, they see him as enough of a peer to invite him to their home in Chapter 1. In this context, The Great Gatsby, which is a novel about the 1920s lifestyles, portrays the American culture as one that eroded the traditional morals and social norms such as denouncing the moral responsibility to remain faithful in marriage. IvyPanda. How about getting full access immediately? In the contemporary phenomenon of "Gatsby parties"festivities intended to capture the air of the titular Jay Gatsby's famously lavish, bacchanalian partiesjazz is de rigueur to evoke the 1920s. The Buchanans exemplify this stereotype when, at the end of the novel, they simply move to a new house far away rather than condescend to attend Gatsbys funeral. Because he creates characters that personify the American Dream, juxtaposes western and eastern American cultures, incorporates examples of law breaking under Prohibition, and depicts the corruption of the wealthy, Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby as a reflection of Americas culture in the early twentieth century by highlighting the cultures successes and failures. Or, zoom out toa summary of The Great Gatsby, along with links to all ourgreat articles analyzing this novel! (3.1-3.6). However, despite her airs, she matters very little to the "old money" crowd, as cruelly evidenced first when Tom breaks her nose with a "short deft movement" (2.126), and later, when Daisy chooses to run her over rather than get into a car accident. For example, it's all well and good to assume that Daisy should leave the boorish Tom, but divorce would have been way more complicated for a woman in the 1920s than it is today. Flappers emerged in 1920s. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Nevertheless, it was still very much frowned on, and being a housewife and having fewer rights than man was still the norm in the 1920s. The main plotline of the novel reflects this assessment, as Gatsbys dream of loving Daisy is ruined by the difference in their respective social statuses, his resorting to crime to make enough money to impress her, and the rampant materialism that characterizes her lifestyle. She fails to comprehend why East Eggs people live materially well while she, together with her husband, still remain engulfed in the valley of ashes (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 76). ), happiness, or family. Ed. Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream. Tom and Daisy's movements are also supported by their money. So she keeps up this affair, despite how morally questionable it is and the risk it opens up for herher materialism, in other words, is her primary motivator. The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 and is set in 1922, near the beginning of the decade. The journey to reaching a fulfilling life and the American Dream came with struggles, and many people resorted to crime and dishonest behavior as a way to circumvent their actual problems. 22 Apr. Read more about those symbols for a fuller understanding of how money affects The Great Gatsby. In Nicks mind, the ability to create meaningful symbols constitutes a central component of the American dream, as early Americans invested their new nation with their own ideals and values. The production and distributionof alcohol became the province ofbootleggers - the original organized crime syndicates. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. This article will guide you through the historical, economic, and social movements of the 1920's as they relate to events, themes, and characters in The Great Gatsby. The first nickname points toAmerica's post-WWIeconomic prosperity and the country's greater influence abroad. All these developments illustrated increased consumer spending as noted by Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby. In addition, Gatsby himself also perfectly personifies one who represents all things pertaining to the American Dream: wealth, happiness, and prosperity; he is able to attain his success while chasing after his perfect girl, Daisy. The availability of mass-produced items among majority Americans led to the erosion of the existing mechanisms of differentiating people based on their social economic classes. Print. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? They Were Careless People, Tom and Daisy. Explain the Quote. 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. All rights reserved. Most of the characters reveal themselves to be highly materialistic, their motivations driven by their desire for money and things: Daisy marries and stays with Tom because of the lifestyle he can provide her, Myrtle has her affair with Tom due to the privileged world it grants her access to, and Gatsby even lusts after Daisy as if she is a prize to be won. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. 4.2 'Aspiration' in The Great Gatsby and 'American Dreams' 4.3 Comparing representations of 'aspiration' in the texts Chapter 5 Comparative study option 2: Human progress 5.1epresenting the concept of 'human progress' R 5.2 'Human progress' in Hidden Figures and poetry by Kathy Jetil-Kijiner These shared ideals include a notion of freedom that ensures all Americans the possibility of upward social mobility, as long as they work for it. Ironically, Gatsbys good qualities (loyalty and love) lead to his death, as he takes the blame for killing Myrtle rather than letting Daisy be punished, and the Buchanans bad qualities (fickleness and selfishness) allow them to remove themselves from the tragedy not only physically but psychologically. 20% She is conversant with her possession of the charm that she uses maximally to maintain security for her lifestyles. Myrtle's character reveals how precarious social climbing is, how materialism is not actually a path to happiness/virtue. In 1920, the U.S. passed the 18th Amendment, outlawing the production and sale of alcohol. Although many previous events eventually influenced the 1920s, there are two crucialpieces of background history that you have to know. 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). 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. In the era of writing The Great Gatsby, cultural conventions, which were perceived as out of date died to usher new ones from1920 to 1930s. Another social development wasthe new flapper style. . Gatsby was Fitzgerald's third novel, and in writing it, he consciously set out to write something more artistic and creative than his previous two books. 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 combination of restlessness and resentment puts them on the path to the tragedy at the end of the book. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. Hence, consumer spending increased tremendously since more people gained access to the well-paying job opportunities. Print. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Wed love to have you back! They are highly materialistic in nature. 1. After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir of Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1914, Austro-Hungary and its ally Germany declared waragainst Russia. Interested in the other ways that The Great Gatsbyera matters to the plot of the novel? West Egg residents or new money (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 54) are perceived by East Egg counterparts as upstart outsiders. Understanding historical context helps you in all sorts of ways: Having a richer interpretation of symbols, motifs, and themes. student. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Readers may end the novel wondering if the American Dream is actually attainable at all. The post-war boom also had a positive effect on minorities in the U.S. One of the effects was thatJewish Americanswere atthe forefront of promoting such issues as workers rights, civil rights, woman's rights, and other progressive causes. One woman is not just adequate. Fitzgerald positions the characters of The Great Gatsby as emblems of these social trends. The idea is straightforward: greater income . Dont have an account? Gatsby makes his fortune through bootlegging and other criminal activities. 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. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, presents a critical portrait of the American dream through its portrayal of the 1920s New York elite. 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. The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s. (7.106). In the novel, he later relocates to New York where he gets involved in bond business. (Of course, the primary support for these arguments should come from the text itself!) Subscribe now. IvyPanda. By exploring themes of wealth, class, love and idealism, The Great Gatsbyraises powerful questions about American ideas and society. This paper discusses these aspects as essential constituents of 1920s American culture as revealed in The Great Gatsby. Cancel culture Truth about the censorship of Roald Dahl The assumption that there is an urgent debate here, is politically useful to both sides. "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." We get our best look at Myrtle in Chapter 2, when Tom takes Nick to see her in Queens and they end up going to the New York City apartment Tom keeps for Myrtle and hosting a small gathering (after Tom and Myrtle hook up, with Nick in the next room!). So the American Dream, which in the first half of the book seems attainable based on Gatsby's wealth and success, reveals itself to be a hollow goal.