The 1920's: The Lost Generation

During the decades of the 1920s and 1930s, the United States underwent a series of changes that had a drastic effect on people across the nation. As the economy began to slow to a halt, millions of people were left broke and without jobs. As the country’s farmers were paralyzed with debt, food prices increased radically (McElvaine). During the mid-1930s, a series of droughts coupled with poor agricultural methods led to years of soil erosion and dust storms known as the Dust Bowl, a catastrophe that destroyed farms throughout the Southern Great Plains (Shafer, Low). As a result, many farmers were forced to abandon their land to seek employment elsewhere. These migrant workers, attracted by the fertility and familiarity of the area, traveled to California towns such as Salinas, where they labored tirelessly for wealthy planters (Cayton, Gorn, Williams). The events of the Great Depression Era, following years of difficulty and poverty, paved the way to an entirely new way of life for Americans.

The Roaring Twenties started in North America and spread to Europe as the effects of World War I diminished. In Europe, the years following the First World War (1919-1923) were marked by a deep recession. Europe spent these years in rebuilding and coming to terms with the vast human cost of the conflict. Unlike in the aftermath of World War II, the United States did little to try to rebuild Europe. Instead, it took an increasingly isolationist stance (Answers, 2006).

During the 1920’s, women were objectified in society, yet began to show signs of independence by striving for equality between genders. In this time known as the Roaring Twenties, women began to use their voice desiring to live their lives how they chose. F. Scott Fitzgerald, a renowned author, displayed his perception of women attempting to prove their worth through his new book. One of the protagonists in the novel, Daisy Buchanan, challenges the gender barriers and threatens to paint a new image for women by choosing love over wealth. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays the modern women’s inability to obtain independence as they were perceived as incapable of making their own decisions and relied on traditional gender

The Progressive Era was a time period that ran from the 1890’s through the 1920’s. It started as a social movement but turned into a political movement. Progressivism really gained a strong voice in 1901 with the election of Teddy Roosevelt as President. He believed that strong corporations were good for America, but believed they should be watched and monitored so that corporate greed did not get out of hand. The main goal of Progressivism was to eliminate corruption in the government.

Reading was a very popular thing to do back during the 1920’s. Before radio and television existed almost all people gained knowledge of the wider world and current events through books and literature. Literature contributed to society a lot more in the 1920’s than it did today. Many authors contributed to the learning and shaping of minds young and old by writing books that would define the time period. Some of these authors were F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and T.S. Elliot. They defined and shaped the 1920’s by their writings and literature.

By the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918, America as a whole was changing. Over the last eighteen years, Henry Ford had released the Model T car, the Wright Brothers flew an airplane, and women were demanding more rights. America entered WWI in 1917 and came out strong, but lost billions of dollars and thousands of military men. By the time the 1920’s came around, Americans wanted to forget the horrors of the war and began to be more carefree. They put large amounts of money in the stock market and bought property using margin buying, which promoted a happier lifestyle of new technologies and ways of entertainment. All the inflated money in the stock market came crashing down in October 1929, changing America’s economy and culture for the

The book is based in the 1920's so they had desserts like lemon cakes, upside-down cakes, and gelatin which were big hits at parties. First In the book Nick states, " Together we scrutinized the twelve lemon cakes from the delicatessen shop."(Fitzgerald 89)This example shows that they were very good because of how much that they ate. Lemon cakes would have been served at parties or small get togethers during the 1920's. Next, on "Desserts from the '20s" it says, gelatin was first mass produced at the turn of the 20th century, and came to fame in the 1920s because of refrigeration. (Selke) Gelatin was also brought to parties during this time and could be easily made during the summer now that they had refrigerators. Another dessert is the

Frederick Lewis Allen, an author, in the book Only Yesterday explains life during the 1920’s that includes the social, political, international, and economical aspects of the world. Allen supports his claims by depicting how individuals had a tough life due to the economic depression and women and men weren’t created equal. In his chapters, he explains important days that influenced life back in the 1920’s. The author’s purpose is to inform readers that life wasn’t easy which leads to new laws and problems happening every year. The author uses a natural tone, so that the readers remember what has happened as years go by during the 1920’s.

World War I had a more profound effect on society than wars prior. With new deadly weapons, like poison gas, high death tolls, and the first occurrence of total war, shocked the world, tearing people between the modern and the tradition. Traditional society was torn down by the destruction of the war. As with most literary movements, writers reflect the world

The 1920s was a time of dramatic upheaval in american society, a time of trying new things. Everything seemed to take a toll for change from work to how people spent their free time. Americans were more open to new things due to the growing abundance of leisure time. Even how or where people lived changed. Country folk were leaving their farms for factory jobs in the cities (McCollum). But even all these changes weren’t the most important shaping force of the 1920s. When two sociologists - Robert and Helen Lynd - asked residents of Muncie, Indiana, in 1925 how their lives were changing, one respondent offered a simple answer: “I can tell you what’s happening in just four letters: A-U-T-O” (McCollum). Although the 1920s had

When people hear the 1920’s, many automatically think about the “Jazz Age.” They think about jazz music, movies, and new dances, but what people don 't realize, is that the 1920’s was not always the non-stop party and drinking days for everyone. Many families and individuals faced the struggles of abject poverty and working conditions, the fear of the Ku Klux Klan, and women wanting women 's rights and individualism. The author of my novel had to experience some of these struggles first hand.

The 1920’s was a generation of dramatic transitioning with political and social changes from the birth of the Jazz Age, and its style of its writers (WWI Expatriates). In the 1920s the nation and its wealth doubled and its economic growth has changed multiple Americans into the consumer society (Lovelady 2). During these times writers and artists have build up through society (WWI Expatriates); The WWI Expatriates known as the “Lost Generation” consists many famous authors who published novels through World War 1 like: Fitzgerald was known famously for the Great Gatsby and Short stories. Passos was recognized for his paintings/novels, Hemingways is also known for “The Sun Also Rises”, and Stein established her accomplishments by creating her

The Roaring Twenties, as this time became known, a period of political and economic change. As the nation’s economy flourished due to economic boom which preceded WW1. This decade also became known as “The Jazz Age”, as this genre became popular throughout the nation. A new idea of women flourished from this era. They were giving the right to vote, expanding their freedom across the country, offering women a taste of unknown independence. “The Flapper” became the idealist women. This new image consisted of a petite figure, “straight- as- as-ironing- board. A flat-chested look was popular… This boyish petite frame showcased its sex appeal by focusing on the legs” (Vashti, 2015). This perfect figure required a woman, to have bobbed hair, their

The 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In addition, this revolution transformed many of the great writers and authors of the time as well as their various works. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emergent trends of the 1920’s. More importantly the

World War I was a disastrous event not only in the period of world history, But also for the literary world. War poets started a cascade of literature to unmask the effects and behavior from the intense brutality of the war that extended throughout the time of combat and beyond. World War I was a period of chance for the United Stated to become a fully modern nation. This armed conflict influenced many writers to embrace a style of realism instead of the basic romanticism of literature prior to the warfare. World War I affected American writers in many different ways, especially those that actually experienced this strife. In his short story “In Another Country”, Ernest Hemingway, reflects the insanity and bloodshed of World War I making a connection to his experiential’s.