Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby perfectly reflected the culture of the 1920s. Fitzgerald did it by showing the characters’ absence of regard for morals. The story shows the societal decadence due to the overall prosperity. In historical context, it was brought by the industrial revolution.
Detailed answer:
Francis Fitzgerald is one of the most famous American writers. Virtually, the majority of his works describe the jazz era. The writer coined this term himself. The novel reflected the happy decade in the 1920s of American. It was the merry life between the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Great Depression. The younger generation rebelled against traditional culture. It was replaced by frantic and temperamental music, which was given the name “jazz.” “The Great Gatsby” illustrates the cultural decadence through the story’s characters with no morals.
In the novel, the culture of the 1920s is shown as the “Roaring Twenties.” The nation’s economic growth brought it. Such an increase in prosperity also increased the wealth inequality among social strata. The reader can feel it throughout the story. F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the 1920s through the interaction of rich and low-class characters. The former’s attitude is not an appealing one. The lack of morality can be mostly observed among the upper class. They adhere to no ethical standards and commit many questionable deeds.
The culture reflected in the novel shows that the US economic rise didn’t benefit the majority. Only the rich got wealthier. The poor suffered from the same issues, such as the lack of resources, debt, and unemployment. Therefore, this work covers many topics, but the main one is people’s unequal position in society.
For example, Jay Gatsby and Daisy fell in love when they were younger. But she was the daughter of a wealthy man, while he was from a low class. They could not be together because everyone was opposed to it. The author talks about the problem of the reprehensible relationship between rich and poor. A person measures the surroundings by price tags. It leads to mistakes that are dear to a society living with false values.
Moreover, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby reflected the dream-like aspect of culture. After parting with Daisy, Jay Gatsby never stopped thinking that someday he would come to her. There would be a fortune behind him, and she, realizing their mutual feelings, would return to him. However, it is essential to understand that this was an illusion and nothing more.
It was an unfinished goal that grew into a strong desire. Gatsby wanted to prove that he was worthy of her attention. On the one hand, it is quite impressive that Gatsby succeeded and became so rich. On the other hand, he never developed his real identity. In his heart, he remained the one whom society considered an outcast and a poor man. Gatsby lived only for his beloved. In the end, when he came to her, he forgot that time changes people. Therefore, the lack of morals among the characters can be attributed to their delusional thinking.
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