Great Gatsby: the Immoral 20s

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The Immoral Twenties The 1920s gained its nickname, The Roaring Twenties from its wild and carefree lifestyle. The extensive wealth of the time filled most nights with parties, dancing, crazy antics, and illegal alcohol. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, encompassed all of the aspects listed above. Not only did the book express the exciting side of the Twenties, it also expressed lack of morality of the time. According to The Great Gatsby, this lack of morality stemmed from the focus on material items, drinking, and dreaming. Everyone enjoys material things, whether they want a brand new car or even a phone; these items do not provide any necessity for survival, yet they make people’s lives much easier, and even more…show more content…
As soon as she met up with Tom “she bought a copy of Town Tattle and a moving picture magazine, and in the stations drug-store some cold cream and a small flask of perfume” (Fitzgerald 26), in a desperate attempt of living her dream. Her dream stemmed from immoral ways; Tom had lots of money, and was willing to spend it on Myrtle, yet only for his own adulterous motives. Dreams stem the worst kind of immoralities because the best intentions can lead to the worst outcomes, so many dreamers do not realize their mistakes. The Roaring Twenties, according to Fitzgerald lacked morals stemming from high aspirations, materialism and liquor. While morality may seem easily discernable many people still act immorally. These bases of impurities still exist today, and stem the same results. For the betterment of the public, one should be careful in what they do; many other examples provide bases for immorality. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1925.
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