(2022, August 12). Everyone who comes to the parties is attracted by Gatsby's money and wealth, making the culture of money-worship a society-wide trend in the novel, not just something our main characters fall victim to. As further proof of Nicks morals, he declines Gatsbys reward for reuniting him with Daisy, a risky business deal that would provide Nick with a surplus of money, as he realizes its faults, and he retains his dignity. Being dishonest makes her (Jordan) incredibly uncomfortable with life. (Of course, the primary support for these arguments should come from the text itself!) The theme of The Great Gatsby is decadence and the decline of society. When Nick tells Gatsby that you can't repeat the past, Gatsby says "Why of course you can!" Unfortunately, the depression of 1929 led to a loss of such gains (Romer 598). 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. If you understand the history of Prohibition, you'll make better sense of some plot and character details inThe Great Gatsby: Police emptying out confiscated barrels of beer into the sewer. He sarcastically describes the "consoling proximity of millionaires" on West Egg and wryly observes Tom and Daisy's restless entitlement on East Egg. American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby". On the surface, The Great Gatsby is a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman. The wealthiest characters own cars and use them to commute between Manhattanand Long Island. After all, "People were not invitedthey went there" (3.7). No one has time to read them all, but its important to go over them at least briefly. Daisy's decision illustrates how few choices many women had during that timespecifically, that marrying and having children was seen as the main role any woman, but especially a wealthy woman, should fulfill. Daisy herself is explicitly connected with money here, which allows the reader to see Gatsby's desire for her as desire for wealth, money, and status more generally. When Nick Carraway, narrator of The Great Gatsby, . Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Before the end of 1930, 12 million homes in the US had already bought radio cassettes while the numbers of those who were connected with telephones increased by 50 percent (10.5 million in 1915 to more than 20 million by the end of 1930) (Scherer and Ross 93). "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." George Wilson, in contrast, is constrained by his lack of wealth. 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. Related to money and class, the fact that both Gatsby and the Wilsons strive to improve their positions in American society, only to end up dead, also suggests that the American Dream -- and specifically its hollowness -- is a key theme in the book as well. Curious to see how much Daisy and Myrtle's struggle for more echoes the lives of real women? Many of them cannot proactively grasp the concept of working hard to build their material wealth base. Gatsbyis now seen as both a product of and a record of the 1920s. One of the rumors about Gatsby is that he is involved in a bootlegging pipeline of alcohol from Canada - this is a reference to a real-life scandal about one of the places where illegal alcohol was coming from! In the time period immediately following the Civil War until the Great Depression, America experienced a period of rapid growth and fortune, especially located in this novels setting, New York (The Great Gatsby Novels 74). 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. At the same time, their prominence gave rise to an anti-Semitic backlash, and the revival of the KKK began with the lynching of a Jewish man in 1915. He spends his life believing that if he makes enough money and acquires enough possessions, he can transcend his lower-class birth and become equal to Daisy and Tom. Daisy Packs Her Bag. London Review of Books 22.18(2000): 13-15. In The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald documents these changes through an in-depth exploration of cultural changes such as the rise in consumerism, materialism, greed for wealth, and the culture of loosening morals in the 1920s American society. Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed . The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. However, drawing from her work, these prohibitions seemed to have little implications (Zeitz 23). By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. The culture of the wealthy Americans represented in the novel was defined mainly by consumerism and excessive This paper discusses these aspects as essential constituents of 1920s American culture as revealed in The Great Gatsby. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Inspired by the devastation of WWI, writers in The Lost Generationembraced a cynical view of human nature. The son of deprived farmers, Gatsby had built himself up from practically nothing, and he sprang from his Platonic conception of himself into a man who truly represented the American Dream (Fitzgerald 98). A person from any social background could, potentially, make a fortune, but the American aristocracyfamilies with old wealthscorned the newly rich industrialists and speculators. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? "Al Capone Does My Shirts a Novel by Gennifer Choldenko, Hobbes Materialist Nature of Philosophical Principles. You can also compare Tom and Daisy's actions and outcomes to other characters to help make your pointMyrtle and Gatsby both contribute to the conflict by participating in affairs with Tom and Daisy, but obviously, Myrtle and Gatsby don't get to "retreat into their money," they both end up dead. Free trial is available to new customers only. Increased availability of products for purchasing in the free market led to the widening of the gaps between people of different social economic classes. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! 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. for a group? 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. The Great Gatsby. 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. Cars also now created a totally new danger, particularly in combination with alcohol consumption. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Ask questions; get answers. Gatsby, like a peacock showing off its many-colored tail, flaunts his wealth to Daisy by showing off his many-colored shirts. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! But that knowledge doesn't dampen his pursuit of wealthif anything, it makes it even more desirable. I have never heard anyone object to the fact that in editions of "The Great Gatsby" published since 1992, numerous perceived errors of both fact and internal chronology have been corrected . This began during WWI as more women began to work to make up for the men fighting abroad, and as more professions opened up to them in the men's absence. However, all positive traits aside, there are aspects of Jay Gatsby that call into question that admiration. 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 amendment came close to eventually being ratifiedin the 1970s, but was defeated by conservatives. Additionally, the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, which banned the sale of alcohol, created a thriving underworld designed to satisfy the massive demand for bootleg liquor among rich and poor alike. These gardeners cleaned the leftovers of the products that had been consumed during Gatsbys parties that were dominated by haphazard expenses. The survivors of the war - both the veterans and those who came of age during the fighting - were called the Lost Generation. 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. Jews also served in the American military during World War I in very high numbers. Zeitz, Joshua. The smaller European powers were forced into the war as well, based on whatever alliances they had made in the past. Daisy is coercive and manipulative. (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.). 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. | Therefore, it is not surprising that the consumerist culture, which Scott Fitzgerald criticizes, had emerged. 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). Fitzgerald and Bruccoli write, they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together (187-188). 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. When describing Gatsbys parties, Caraways says that there was frequent musical noise emanating for his neighbors house throughout all nights in summer (Zeitz 22). The ramifications of this were political, economic, and social. And since Gatsby doesn't give up his dream, even into death, we can see how fervently he desires money and status. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-novel-the-great-gatsby/. 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 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. To Nick, the way that Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby line up morally correlates with their geographical choice of lifestyle (The Great Gatsby Novels 73); in other words, Nicks unsophistication and simplicity reflect his admiration for the Midwest just as Toms, Daisys and Gatsbys materialistic and immoral behaviors mirror their affinity for the fast-paced life of New York. Jordan Baker is the best example of this kind of woman. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. 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. The rising immorality also explains the cultures of loosening morals in The Great Gatsby. Ironically, with Wolfsheim being a powerful Jewish man who is more successful than Tom, his perceived fears become a reality (The Great Gatsby Literary 271); despite his unethical conclusions of other races, Tom struggles with the fact that he cannot combat the future success of others as proof of his immoral values. Materialism led to the increased corruption and breakage of the law at will among the rich in pursuit of money. As discussed above, moneyand specifically having inherited moneynot only guarantees a certain social class, it guarantees safety and privilege: Tom and Daisy can literally live by different rules than other, less-wealthy people. Then, after returning home and realizing Daisy was married and gone, he set out to earn enough money to win Daisy over, turning to crime via a partnership with Meyer Wolfshiem to quickly amass wealth (9.83-7). Myrtle feels trapped in her marriage, which pushes her into her affair with Tom Buchanan, an affair which grants her access to a worldNew York City, wealth, partiesshe might not otherwise have access to. Modernism was all about breaking with the past. Nick's love of Manhattan as a diverse melting pot is illustrated by the appearance in. (2022, August 12). . From new money to consumer culture to lavish parties, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel depicted the heyday of the 1920sand foreshadowed the doom that would follow. Fitzgerald carefully sets up his novel into distinct groups but, in the end, each group has its own problems to contend with, leaving a powerful reminder of what a precarious place the world really is. 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 https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-novel-the-great-gatsby/, IvyPanda. . Although many previous events eventually influenced the 1920s, there are two crucialpieces of background history that you have to know. 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. I couldn't forgive him or like him but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. Gatsbys failure to attain the American Dream suggests the Dream is both an unattainable and unwise goal. 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!). 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). Societally, divorce became more common. "Old money" families have fortunes dating from the 19th century or before, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. 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 Great Gatsby. Almost a century after he was written into being, F Scott Fitzgerald's doomed . For instance, rumors exist that Gatsby is involved in the importation and ferrying of illegal liquor amid the existing ban. If George Wilson had had the means, he likely would have already left New York with Myrtle in tow, saving both of their lives. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols sufficiently to give the novel a more vivid description of the American culture. IvyPanda. The Great Gatsby is set against the backdrop of 1920s New York City, a period known as the "Roaring Twenties" for the exhilarating pace set by the rapidly evolving culture and technology. By Matthew Walther Mr. Walther is the editor of The Lamp, a Catholic literary journal, and a . First of all, he makes it clear that he has "an unaffected scorn" for the ultra-rich, and eyes both new money and old money critically. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. One woman is not just adequate. The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. How does Nick Carraway first meet Jay Gatsby? Obviously there is physical chemistry driving her affair with Tom, but she seems to get as much (if not more) pleasure from the materials that come with the affairthe apartment, the clothes, the dog, the parties. Money (or the lack of it!) Print. 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. Daisy maintains her "old money" status by marrying a very rich man, Tom Buchanan, and ultimately sticks with him despite her feelings for Gatsby. Contact us The aftermath of this desire was the American dream that entailed the search for riches, equal opportunity, independence, and devotion. After all, if even wealth on the scale of Gatsby's can't buy you entry into America's highest social class, what can? Gatsby's comment about Daisy's voice explicitly connects Daisy the character to the promise of wealth, old money, and even the American Dream. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Discount, Discount Code American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby". A reinterpreted version of the story about Jay Gatsby's endeavor to become rich, achieve status in the high-society of 1922's Long Island, New York, and get back together with the love of his life - Daisy Buchanan. A new version of the dream emerged. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Even Gatsbys all-consuming passion for Daisy seems more of a desire to possess something unattainable than actual love. We utilize security vendors that protect and Wondering what the world was like when Jay Gatsby struck it rich in bootlegging? Vol. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. The novels narrator illustrates well the increased consumerist culture. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. So Gatsby ultimately provides a pretty harsh, pessimistic view of women's roles in 1920s America. Fitzgerald and Bruccoli reckon, Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game (10). They Were Careless People, Tom and Daisy. Explain the Quote. Nick began his life in the Midwest and always regards it as his home and the place where he belongs, which is directly reflected in his unhappiness and ability to see the corruption of those who reside in the East; conversely, Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby all have roots in the Midwest, were drawn to the East, and remain there, blind to the horrors occurring in their daily lives. Detroit: Gale, 2007. ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. However, Fitzgerald illustrates the price of prosperity as he portrays its negative effects such as the greed, lies, and deceit the characters possess in order to satirize the selfish way many were choosing to live. The production and distributionof alcohol became the province ofbootleggers - the original organized crime syndicates. They even went to the extent of assimilating masculine ways and fashions into their lifestyles. In the final chapter, Nick calls Tom and Daisy careless people who smashed up things and . board with our, See On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city, between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains. All rights reserved. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Print. SparkNotes PLUS It would help your argument to talk about the sudden skyrocketing prevalence of cars on the road in the 1920s, connecting them to increased danger, status symbol consumerism, and modern life. Ask below and we'll reply! In both cases, the marriages seem to be unions of convenience or advantage than actual love. IvyPanda, 12 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-novel-the-great-gatsby/. to reacquaint himself with Daisy through massive parties instead prove to be areas where those yearning for liquor could obtain their desired alcohol with little to no regard toward their host; this is exemplified in the fact that Owl Eyes is the only character other than Nick to attend both Gatsbys lavish parties and his funeral. Is Nick from The Great Gatsby a Trustworthy Narrator? This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. . Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Gatsbys house that was located in the seashore was characterized by immense lavishness and luxury. Although her husband is immensely loyal to her, she possesses a strong desire to have everything else. 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. One of the major topics explored in The Great Gatsby is the sociology of wealth, specifically, how the newly minted millionaires of the 1920s differ from and relate to the old aristocracy of the countrys richest families. He also threw parties now and then, which were equally characterized by high consumptions. Renews March 11, 2023 Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and first published in 1925, the setting of The Great Gatsby is an island, which is dominated by prosperous, wealthy, and poor communities of East Egg and West Egg. This analysis can enrich an essay about old money versus new money, the American dream, or even a more straightforward character analysis, or a comparison of two different characters. 3: Growth of Empires to the Great Depression (1890-1930s). The American Dream refers to a shared set of ideals that guide the spirit of the United States. 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? SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. There are two crucialpieces of background history that you have to know to understand the novel. You need wealth, the more the better, to win over the object of your desire. Unfortunately, with regard to The Great Gatsby, this dream dwindled, as materialism, consumerism, and the culture of loosening social morals became the order of the day in the 1920s America. We've compiled a list of 15 must-have items for fans of The Great Gatbsy book and movie adaptations. (In a uniform she had no idea he was poor, especially given his sophisticated manners). Economically, there was an increase in working women. High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. (See our article on this novel's publication and reception history for more.). 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). 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. . No one comes due to close personal friendship with Jay. West Egg residents or new money (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 54) are perceived by East Egg counterparts as upstart outsiders. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. A Comprehensive Guide. F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Age of Excess. His assumption of Gatsby's illegal activities notwithstanding, Nick has the same expectations of integrity from Gatsby and from other men as he does from himself. "There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. Print. 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 . In the era of writing The Great Gatsby (1920s), America had experienced an immense economic growth. But, in 1917, the U.S. was pulled into the fighting, fearing an alliance between Germany and Mexico. Nick Caraway, a native of Minnesota and an advocate of Midwestern values, narrates it in the first person. This happened because of advances in mass production due to the assembly line, and because of rising incomes due to the economic boom. In 1921 to 1924, the American GDP grew from $ 69bilion to about 93 billion (Woods 213). WWI was a war of trench warfare, chemical weapons, shrapnel artillery, and other gruesome technologies that had never been seen before. . Print. This claim implies that they thought that money could make them more authoritative than other people. 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. Print. Gatsby makes his fortune through bootlegging and other criminal activities. I wasnt actually in love, Nick recalls, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity. Such tender curiosity may be the closest thing to love in the entire novel. Fitzgeralds illustration of the American Dream within his characters directly echoed the societys high-esteemed qualities of success and delight. ), happiness, or family. Gatsby's early romance with Daisy is heightened by the initial idealism that he was about to go fight in a noble and glorious endeavor. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you August 12, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-novel-the-great-gatsby/. F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, written in 1925, depicts a portion of Nick Carraway's life characterized by the time he is influenced by the mysterious Jay Gatsby and his extensive pursuit of his former flame and Nick's cousin, Daisy Buchanan. To get a really good sense of why characters in the novel do what they do, it's useful to know the specific historical circumstances they are dealing with. Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Interested in the other ways that The Great Gatsbyera matters to the plot of the novel? True to the spirit of the times . Tragically, Myrtle is hit and killed that evening by Daisy. As an example, let's look briefly at Myrtle. 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. "They're such beautiful shirts," she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. 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. In the novel you can see what happened to it during the 1920s. Nick and Gatsby, both of whom fought in World War I, exhibit the newfound cosmopolitanism and cynicism that resulted from the war.