The Great Gatsby
The Roaring Twenties was an era of embracing new trends that were foreign to everyone, especially in the aftermath of a major war. A reflection of these new and unique trends of the 1920’s can be found in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous novel, The Great Gatsby.
The novel revolves around a mysterious character named Jay Gatsby, who built himself up from practically nothing. Jimmy Gatz was born into a family of unsuccessful farmers in the Midwest. While growing up, he discovers bigger dreams and aspirations that force him to leave his family. After changing his name to something more desirable, Jay Gatsby begins to build up his wealth through organized crime. Gatsby’s whole life reflects the trends of the Roaring Twenties.
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Gatsby did the same, but at his parties he floated along in the background, never joining in, always desiring something else. One last trend that leads to a tragic ending is having an automobile. It was very luxurious to be able to live in the boondocks but to be able to take your car and go into the city for the day. Although we see the danger of this invention when Daisy hits and kills Myrtle with Gatsby’s car on the way home from a trip to New York City. This trend of automobiles had many negative and positive factors that are identified in the novel.
This novel’s purpose was to spread Fitzgerald’s message that everyone in society tends to set unrealistically high standards for those we love. We become so fixated on the trends and obsessed with others that we lose sight of ourselves and the world around us. He believed society can become so self-absorbed that it becomes unflattering to everyone. Similarly to Gatsby, people of this time were very materialistic with their ideals. They focused on having objects to make them happy, rather than having people influence their happiness.
The Great Gatsby is a perfect portrayal of countless trends that are identified in the 1920’s. F. Scott Fitzgerald combined the trends and fads into the characters lives while also spreading a message. Taking the author’s advice, society as a whole, has a new goal to stop being materialistic and to check into reality every so