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 novels narrator illustrates well the increased consumerist culture. In the novel, he later relocates to New York where he gets involved in bond business. It was full of moneythat was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it. The Great Gatsby portrays three different social classes: "old money" (Tom and Daisy Buchanan); "new money" (Gatsby); and a class that might be called "no money" (George and Myrtle Wilson). The dizzying rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden, sustained increase in the national wealth and a newfound materialism, as people began to spend and consume at unprecedented levels. 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). Samkanashvili reckons that Scott Fitzgeralds novel has the lesson of the need to subscribe to a firm belief that people must work hard to achieve their goals of becoming rich and prosperous, rather than following short-cut routes that often prompt corruption to take place (73). Obsession In The Great Gatsby And Frankenstein . 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 situation resulted in corruption of the ideal American dream. 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). She is passionate about improving student access to higher education. 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. Every character in The Great Gatsby draws inspiration from the American Dreams promise of wealth and prosperity. Scott Fitzgerald has created a social satire of America in the 1920's in which he exposes the American Dream as being inherently flawed and merely an illusion produced by idealism.This American Dream has been traditionally associated with the pursuit of freedom and equality. "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." 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. In fact, it seems that the accident may have brought them closer. The clash between old money and new money manifests itself in the novels symbolic geography: East Egg represents the established aristocracy, West Egg the self-made rich. Set in the year 1922, the novel occurs during the thriving period of prosperity in America where materialism set the tone of society as reflected by the main characters economic successes. What Makes the great Gatsby by F.S Fitzgerald Great? Journal of Education 1.2(2012): 73-78. Caroline Brown . A+ Student Essay: The Automobile as a Symbol in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby Background. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. Gatsby, for example, lives in a monstrously ornate mansion, wears a pink suit, drives a Rolls-Royce, and does not pick up on subtle social signals, such as the insincerity of the Sloanes invitation to lunch. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Of course, this did little to actually stem the desire for alcoholic beverages, so a vast underground criminal empire was born to supply this demand. 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. She indeed admires East Eggs people with mega envy together with intense animosity. 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! The various social climbers and ambitious speculators who attend Gatsbys parties evidence the greedy scramble for wealth. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. 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. Wealth, Class, and Society Although she is a famous player of golf, she can do anything on the loose to have her right always. Myrtle's character reveals how precarious social climbing is, how materialism is not actually a path to happiness/virtue. He also threw parties now and then, which were equally characterized by high consumptions. The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s. 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. American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby". Fitzgerald, F. Scott. IvyPanda. 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. 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. 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. "There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. Many themes of the novel revolve around the mysterious character of Gatsby. Show how each instance reveals Tom or Daisy's carelessness, and how those instances thus foreshadow the bigger tragedyMyrtle's death at Daisy's hands, followed by Tom's manipulation of George to kill Gatsby. Let's explore. 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. Why does Myrtle run out in front of Gatsbys car? (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.). Daisy Packs Her Bag. London Review of Books 22.18(2000): 13-15. 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. Scherer and Ross remark that Americans purchased durable goods in the 1920s, thus increasing their spending on clothes and various mass-produced items (105). Your privacy is extremely important to us. The Great Gatsby. Money and materialism in the plotKey quotes about money/materialismAnalyzing characters via money/materialismCommon assignments and analysis of money/materialism in Gatsby. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. 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. 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? The survivors of the war - both the veterans and those who came of age during the fighting - were called the Lost Generation. So how exactly does materialism reveal itself as a theme, how can it help us analyze the characters, and what are some common assignments surrounding this theme? 1. Nick laments, I stared at (Wilson) and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before-and it occurred to me that there was no difference between men (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 158). 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." 12 August. Zeitz, Joshua. Wondering what the world was like when Jay Gatsby struck it rich in bootlegging? The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. She was incurably dishonest. Another social development wasthe new flapper style. Also seen throughout The Great Gatsby is the flapper culture. This is encapsulated in a phone call Nick describes, to a man who used to come to Gatsby's parties: "one gentleman to whom I telephoned implied that he had got what he deserved. Subscribe now. Only after amassing a large fortune does he feel able to make his move. 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. In other words, Gatsby loves Daisy's "value" as an in-demand product. 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. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education. Increased availability of products for purchasing in the free market led to the widening of the gaps between people of different social economic classes. In the 1920s depicted in the novel, however, easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast. board with our, See Despite the fact that only few women precisely fitted this description of 1920s flapper, such a description was common in the media. 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 Artists from that time include W.E.B. This speaks to her materialism and how, in her world, a certain amount of wealth is a barrier to entry for a relationship (friendship or more). Modeled after his closest friend and mentor, Dan Cody, who also. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? Here, in the aftermath of the novel's carnage, Nick observes that while Myrtle, George, and Gatsby have all died, Tom and Daisy are not punished at all for their recklessness, they can simply retreat "back into their money or their vast carelessness and let other people clean up the mess." At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his two motor-boats slit the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam. ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. When you combine this level of mass destruction with the fact that most of the war was a territorial stalemate (no army advanced, no army withdrew - they were just locked in a horrible tie), it's easy to see how unaccountable the 40 million deaths the war caused were. 20% In Fitzgerald's most popular novel, The Great Gatsby, jazz appears as constant background music. Ask questions; get answers. (3.1-3.6). Literary Themes for Students. Daisy representing money also suggests money is as alluring and desirableor even more sothan Daisy herself. Myrtle explains that she married George because she thought he was a gentleman, suggesting she hoped hed raise her class status. Hence, consumer spending increased tremendously since more people gained access to the well-paying job opportunities. Don't leave your college application to chance. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols sufficiently to give the novel a more vivid description of the American culture. let other people clean up the mess they had made.. 2). We learn that the car is very large and both green on the . The values totally changed instead of striving for equality, people - just wanted to get as rich as they could. West Egg residents or new money (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 54) are perceived by East Egg counterparts as upstart outsiders. Gatsbys house that was located in the seashore was characterized by immense lavishness and luxury. 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). The Great Gatsby is a very accurate portrayal of the cultural and social changes during the 1920's. 1929, the 19th Amendment has been passed, era of the flapper was strong, Jazz was popularized, prohibition started, greed was more apparent, and morals were lost. Published in 1925, the book is not only an important work of English-language literature, it is an excellent period piece that displays the social, cultural, and political tensions of the 1920s . Tragically, Myrtle is hit and killed that evening by Daisy. 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). It's not enough to "bounce high" for someone, to win them over with your charm. Anne Marie Hacht. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you In The Great Gatsby, money is a huge motivator in the characters' relationships, motivations, and outcomes. (2022, August 12). In 1921 to 1924, the American GDP grew from $ 69bilion to about 93 billion (Woods 213). If Nick were just a middle-class everyman, the story could not play out in the same way. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% You'll also receive an email with the link. 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. Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. The idea is straightforward: greater income . F. Scott Fitzgerald, though he didn't actually see any fighting during his time in the army, was a member of this generation. How about getting full access immediately? A Comprehensive Guide. Materialism led to the increased corruption and breakage of the law at will among the rich in pursuit of money. In real life, this represents aristocracy, which took a long time to establish. Jordan Baker is the best example of this kind of woman. "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." 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. Renews March 11, 2023 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. Thus, possession of material wealth was important for the placement of people in a given social class and status. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? Cultural Impact of 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. This claim suggests that 1920s were marked by the coming out of an impatient society that was led by the adolescents who opposed honorable margins that were constant in the previous age group. They even went to the extent of assimilating masculine ways and fashions into their lifestyles. Building on the work of Miles Corak, Anders Bjrklund, Markus Jantti, and others, I proposed the "Great Gatsby Curve" in a speech in January 2012 . And since Gatsby doesn't give up his dream, even into death, we can see how fervently he desires money and status. 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. Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: PrepScholar 2013-2018. However, the quest for contentment changed with time to become the search for wealth through excessive insatiability. Why is Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby a Satire? This situation created opportunities to satisfy the undying appetite for consumption, opulence, and immorality. The wealthiest characters own cars and use them to commute between Manhattanand Long Island. 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. On the surface, The Great Gatsby is a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman. Vol. Daisy and Jordan are both old money socialites, while Myrtle is a working class woman married to a mechanic. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes the culture of materialism and greed amongst people in the higher social classes. 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 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. The main theme of the novel, however, encompasses a much larger, less romantic scope. 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. 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. As such, the Great Gatsby era is the period in 20th century U.S. history nicknamed both the "Roaring 20s" and the "Jazz Age." The first nickname points to America's post-WWI economic prosperity and the country's greater influence abroad. Narrator Nick Carraway is . That was it. Romer, Christina. 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. on 50-99 accounts. A close look at these two distinct societies gives an image of a future fictional American society culture, which is free from corruption and largely not driven by individualism. Clearly, having old money sets you far apart from everyone else in the world of the novel. In fact, Nick says. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? As such, theGreat Gatsby era is theperiod in 20th century U.S. history nicknamed both the Roaring 20s and the "Jazz Age." See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? Print. The Great Gatsby. By such suggestions that Gatsby was a product of his culture, Nick is able to praise Gatsby for the integrity of his belief .