Economically, there was an increase in working women. 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. (one code per order). Why is Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby a Satire? 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. 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. You can use them for inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template of a certain type of paper. If Nick were just a middle-class everyman, the story could not play out in the same way. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted havening sired a child with a house help, even though he was still married. He sarcastically describes the "consoling proximity of millionaires" on West Egg and wryly observes Tom and Daisy's restless entitlement on East Egg. Download it for free now: hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '688715d6-bf92-47d7-8526-4c53d1f5fe7d', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '03a85984-6dfd-4a19-93c8-5f46091f5e2b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. The Great Gatsby. Both Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby have military backgrounds. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Scherer and Ross remark that Americans purchased durable goods in the 1920s, thus increasing their spending on clothes and various mass-produced items (105). In this context, Gatsby is a representation of a fallen American dream due to the rising immorality that characterizes the culture of the 1920s America. The second nickname refers to this period'schanging social norms and daring artistic movements. 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. At the same time, the novel itself critiques the notion of the American Dream. However, jumping up beyond her roots, using Tom's money, is ultimately unsustainableher husband finds out and threatens to move out west, and then of course she is killed by Daisy before they can make that move. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, 'f20994d3-fd87-4c1e-988d-22ad8d920c1a', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); This is an interesting prompt, since you have to comb through passages of Nick's narration to find his comments about money, and then consider what they could mean, given that he comes from money himself. This period of women's liberation saw young women with short hair and increased freedoms. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols sufficiently to give the novel a more vivid description of the American culture. Developing a richer interpretation of symbols, motifs, and themes. This term described women who would wear much less restricting clothing and go out drinking and dancing, which at the time was a huge violation of typical social norms. Want to write the perfect college application essay? The Great Gatsby, third novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925 by Charles Scribner's Sons. However, all positive traits aside, there are aspects of Jay Gatsby that call into question that admiration. 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? jazz music is a fixture of Gatsbys parties, and almost every song that Fitzgerald describes is a real life piece of music. IvyPanda. 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. F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Age of Excess. In Myrtle's eyes, money is an escape from life with her husband in the valley of ashes, something that brings status, and something that buys class. Few characters in literature or indeed life embody an era quite so tenaciously as Jay Gatsby does the Jazz Age. Daisy representing money also suggests money is as alluring and desirableor even more sothan Daisy herself. I also shared the assumptions of the stimulus materials that were common because of my cultural background. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. No one comes due to close personal friendship with Jay. The second nickname refers to this period's changing social norms and daring artistic movements. $24.99 By exploring themes of wealth, class, love and idealism, The Great Gatsbyraises powerful questions about American ideas and society. 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. "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." The average student has to read dozens of books per year. In this sense, better economic fortunes in America, together with the rising mass production in the 1920s normalized the culture of consumption so that products that were consumed by the wealthy members of the society became now affordable to persons in the lower social economic classes. In addition to the perception of the American Dream, the opposing cultures of the Midwest and Eastern regions of the United States are depicted by Fitzgerald and embody the characters morals. Materialistic nature of the characters in the novel validates this claim. The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s. To get you started, here is a sample of some of Nick's comments on money and the wealthy, though there are certainly more to be found: "Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reactionGatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn." In the final chapter, Nick calls Tom and Daisy careless people who smashed up things and . Nick and Gatsby, both of whom fought in World War I, exhibit the newfound cosmopolitanism and cynicism that resulted from the war. New York: Scribner, 2004. We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. Gale Virtual Reference Library. These practices gave rise to a culture of immorality, which opposed the traditional moral and social norms of the past generations. Modeled after his closest friend and mentor, Dan Cody, who also. This makes Daisy sound like the princess that the hero gets to marry at the end of a fairy talein other words, she's a high-value prize. Why does Myrtle run out in front of Gatsbys car? Gatsby, in the summer months, was known far and wide for the extravagant parties he threw in which "men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars." During the weekend, people flocked to his house for his parties, as well as to use his . You can connect modernism withthe novel's descriptions of East Egg and West Egg extravagance. The values totally changed instead of striving for equality, people - just wanted to get as rich as they could. Gatsby is accurately accused of being a bootlegger by those who attend his parties as he displays no signs of difficulty acquiring liquor and breaking the law (Fitzgerald 17). "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. In the era of writing The Great Gatsby (1920s), America had experienced an immense economic growth. She wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage, and given this unwillingness I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young" (3.160). Suppose you wanted to analyze the importance of cars in The Great Gatsby. So money here is more than just statusit's a shield against responsibility, which allows Tom and Daisy to behave recklessly while other characters suffer and die in pursuit of their dreams. In the monied world of The Great Gatsby, class influences all aspects of life, and especially love. This situation resulted in corruption of the ideal American dream. Inspired by the devastation of WWI, writers in The Lost Generationembraced a cynical view of human nature. This paper discusses these aspects as essential constituents of 1920s American culture as revealed in The Great Gatsby. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. 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. Gatsby admits this fact (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 127). In fact, Nick says. Ask questions; get answers. 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. Every character in The Great Gatsby draws inspiration from the American Dreams promise of wealth and prosperity. Check out our guide to Jay Gatsby for the complete story. Want the complete lowdown on Jay Gatsby's rags-to-riches story? Perhaps this attitude was tempered at Yale, where he would have been surrounded by other ultra-wealthy peers, but in any case, Nick's cynical, sarcastic attitude seems to be a cover for jealousy and resentment for those even more wealthy than him. Understanding what the world was like during the time the novel is sethelps you in all sorts of ways: Figuring out an author's assumptions. 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. Meanwhile, Tom's mistress Myrtle, a car mechanic's wife, puts on airs and tries to pass as rich through her affair with Tom, but her involvement with the Buchanans gets her killed. In contrast to Tom and Daisy's expensive but not overly gaudy mansion, and the small dinner party Nick attends there in Chapter 1, everything about Gatsby's new wealth is over-the-top and showy, from the crates of oranges brought in and juiced one-by-one by a butler to the full orchestra. Print. Although she is a famous player of golf, she can do anything on the loose to have her right always. You should know about WWI (and its aftermath) because: The war and its devastating after-effects, particularly in Europe, fed into the creation of a new artistic movement: modernism. Knowing the hot-button issues of the novel's day gives you a good second way to support arguments about the importance of a particular theme, or your reading of the meaning of a symbol.