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Tension In The Great Gatsby

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The 1920’s were a time of women’s rights, prohibition, automobiles, and cultural conflicts. The 19th Amendment allowed women to vote, and they were allowed more white-collar jobs, along with many dressing as “flapper” girls, which became a big statement in the 1920’s. However, some other freedoms were taken away, such as prohibition, which made it illegal to sell “intoxicating liquors” and then the Volstead Act which caused all bars to close down. Soon this created the underground business of liquor trade. Many Americans had extra money to spend in this era, which allowed the automobile economy to boom, with almost every American owning a car. With all the excitement in the 1920’s also came a time where cultural conflict was a huge social tension. Black culture became widespread through many cities, with jazz becoming popular. The …show more content…

Overall, the 1920’s created a huge social and political change, with growth of the economy, social tension, and rights for women. The novel, “The Great Gatsby” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, relates to the 1920’s and how prosperity and corruption both were factors in people’s daily lives. As the article states, alcohol was illegal, and became an underground business trade, in which Gatsby’s wealth had much to do with the prohibition happening, as he was part of the shady business. Automobiles were a big part of the 1920’s, and in the book, cars reflect social and political class issues. This enhances my understanding of the novel because the cars represent a sense of freedom. Women are allowed to go out if they have an automobile, as well as, automobiles almost enabled Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship, allowing them to see each other throughout the novel. Cultural conflict played a major role in the novel, and was a big social tension as

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