The Great Gatsby Research Paper

Claire Blinkinsop

Mrs. Blomme

English 11

9 December 2014

The Ups and Downs of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Life F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most recognized writers in American history. Although he didn’t gain much fame until after his death, most of his fame comes from his popular novel, The Great Gatsby. Throughout his life, he was a victim of mental depression, and turned to alcohol for comfort. Some say that Fitzgerald is a writer that sums up an era, the 1920’s, but others would argue that the inspiration for his stories and novels came from events that happened in his own life. F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, was born September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota (Mizener). His mother, Mary McQuillan, was born into

It was rejected by the publisher, Charles Scribner’s Sons, although the reviewer admired Fitzgerald’s originality and encouraged him to submit more work in the future. After the failure of his novel, Fitzgerald joined the army and was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama (“F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography”). While in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre and they fell in love, but she refused to marry him until he had some money. Fitzgerald then moved to New York to find a good job, but gave up a few months later and returned to St. Paul to rewrite his rejected novel (Mizener). This shows that Fitzgerald desperately wanted to find success in his writing, not anything else. Finally though, in 1920, his rewritten novel This Side of Paradise was published and gave him his first glimpse at success. One week after the novel was published, Fitzgerald married Zelda Sayre, and in 1921, they had a daughter named Frances Scott Fitzgerald (“F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography”). Fitzgerald’s life seemed to be finally falling into place. His writing was finally recognized, plus he won over the girl of his dreams and married her. The peak of Fitzgerald’s success was in 1925, when he published The Great Gatsby (“F. Scott Fitzgerald”). The novel is known as Fitzgerald’s best work and is said to have portrayed the 1920’s perfectly. After the publishing of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s life started to fall apart. Fitzgerald himself started drinking more than

The 1920’s were a time of wealth and prosperity for Americans, and the nation’s wealth more than doubled (“The Roaring Twenties”). Along with the economic changes, the Jazz Age began, women became more “rebellious” in their style, and transportation became quicker and easier. Jazz bands played in music halls, and radios and phonographs became a popular way to listen to music (“The Roaring Twenties”). Along with the freedom from the music and dancing, women specifically expressed themselves through fashion. Women started wearing shorter hems on their dresses and cut their hair short. Some even began to smoke and drink. People also found freedom in transportation. Many Americans started buying cars, something that many could not afford before the 1920’s. Cars allowed people to get where they needed to faster and easier (“The Roaring Twenties”). The 1920’s were a very exciting time in American history and influenced many forms of art, The Great Gatsby just happened to be one of