The Great Gatsby Research Paper

A novel is a form of entertainment, but is can also be so much more. Literature does not just provide entertainment but an insight into the culture and humanity of the society that it was written in. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an entertaining story that is set in the 1920's. It is about a man who is trying to rekindle his relationship that he had with his former lover, who is now married. However the reader may learn a great deal about the lifestyle of the 1920's, because it portrays the decade in a realistic manner. It portrays the flappers, prohibition, the changes in women's rights and the partying lifestyle that the generation had. On a deeper level there are themes and issues presented in the novel and the reader can

The 1920s was a very special time for woman. Women started standing for up for themselves and making points to men that women can do just the same as them, and that women should be equal to men and have the same rights. That’s where flappers came from. Flappers were basically woman who stood out and did what they wanted. Women's rights were changed drastically because of flappers, now women are more equal to men. Flappers had a large impact on the American culture going from woman’s right, music and their fashion.

“I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

The Roaring Twenties were a time of leisure and parties. The media and events surrounding this time period greatly impacted the carefree, extravagant lifestyle. This era was one of the most dramatic and energetic times in American history. To many, the symbols of the roaring Twenties were F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, due to their tales of the young and the wealthy (Hanson 96). The Roaring Twenties influenced many literary works, throughout the 1920s such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise.

One of the most common ways people embraced the Roaring Twenties was to party. Jay Gatsby, one of the main characters in the book, had these amazing parties at his luxurious house. This showed off his wealth and popularity which were popular things to have back then. “Jay Gatsby’s party, in The Great Gatsby, has become the quintessential 1920s party” (Baughman and Bruccoli 94). It was fashionable for people to get away from their everyday lives. There was also a certain popularity contest in this decade. “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s characters were usually young and wealthy American men and women, many of whom possessed artistic leanings. Their tastes and styles reflected those of the Jazz age almost perfectly” (Weisbrod 13). Everybody was trying new and electrifying things. “During this time, young people seemed determined to break away from the mores and tastes of previous generations” (Weisbrod 7). This was specifically true throughout the 1920s.Strangers and

The 1920s was often referred to as the "Jazz age", or the "Roaring Twenties". Not only was American culture 'roaring' in terms of social trends and style, but the economy was 'roaring' as well. This related to the economic booming period of rapid expansion and changed social attitudes. The 1920s impacted American Society and economy because of Laissez-Faire, farm crisis, and consumer credit/installment plan. Society was discovering new found freedoms and becoming less regimented. This lead to new technologies disasters and a booming economy. However, hidden behind the optimistic views on the economy, there were significant structural problems, which led to the Great Depression of the 1930s and the notorious stock market crash of 1929.

writer of the 1920s was F. Scott Fitzgerald whose most famous novel, The Great Gatsby,

The 1920s marked a period of increasing services that were made available to the middle class. By and large Americans as a whole were drained of war and looking for a way to put the horrors of the last few years behind them. New products made chores around the home easier and resulted in increased relaxation time. Products that had once been too expensive were suddenly affordable due to new methods of financing that made it possible for families to spend beyond more available means. New practices of advertising of increased the sale of goods through the capitalization of consumer hopes and dreams.

Buet, P. (n.d.). How France's Nationalist Party Is Winning Gay Support. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/frances-nationalist-party-is-winning-gay-support? utm_term=.lgzdZO6Ne#.okPogP2DB

Throughout history it becomes apparent that all the great stories: The Odyssey, Great Expectations, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are all founded on a similar theme. The same plot line, a hero, most often the protagonist, faces danger and adversity to the highest extreme but always comes out on top. He is depicted as the pinnacle of human triumph and in essence, demonstrates a fundamental strength that all men should strive to achieve. These stories were, “ full of darkness and danger. And sometimes one did not want to know the end; How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? In the end, it is only a passing thing. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out even clearer. Those

Thesis: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the American society in the early twentieth century consumed by lust and avarice. In order to better understand the rational and motives behind the actions of individual characters, the use of literary lenses offer a closer insight behind each character's desires. Through the psychoanalytical perspective and the use of Freudian psychology, the behaviors of these characters can be explained by identifying the id, ego, and superego. Similarly, through the Marxist perspective, economic exploitation by the wealthy can also be incorporated in analyzing the character's actions.

The roaring twenties was a time of economic growth and cultural prosperity. The roaring twenties left an impact on authors similar to F. Scott Fitzgerald to write novels based on this era. The novel The Great Gatsby was based on the era of 1920s presenting several themes influenced by the change in culture and economy. The revolving theme presented in the Great Gatsby is the idea of old money vs new money. The effect of new money coming into power made an impact on society and this was showcased in the novel.

This was also a time of optimism and desire. Money was a major foundation of society in America. Seeing as the decade was fixated on beauty, power, and wealth, people felt they could forget about their pasts and could become anyone they wanted, as though they could become an elite member of economic or social power. Flapper girls were also a new development of lifestyle during this era. Flappers were a new image for women, ditching the old and traditional lifestyle for a new, outlandish one. Being able to cut their hair short, wear short skirts, go out dancing and drinking without a man with them, and begin to speak their minds was a huge thing. From a world where the man is the one in the house that works and the woman stays home and takes care of the home and children to partying and making more carefree and promiscuous choices in their personal lives, this was a fascinating and empowering experience for some women. Though most women certainly did not adapt the extreme party lifestyle, many women at least adopted the fashion style and wore shorter skirts and got their hair cut into the bob style. For the women, being a flapper made them feel independent and powerful, and they freely practiced manipulation over rich and morally questionable men using seductive and promiscuous means. Due to the fact that so many people

During the Roaring twenties, social class was an important aspect of society. All different classes were for the most part separated by where people lived. In other words, by no means would anyone from a lower class be caught in an uptown setting. There are a variety of characters in the novel that come from different economic backgrounds. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald successfully uses location to differentiate social status amongst his characters while the weather and seasons of those locations help guide them.   Each character helps represent and support the differences of social class and the four main locations, The East Egg, the West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and New York City.

One of the most wide known changes that happened in America in the roaring 20s was the change of women. The 1920s marked a time of new freedoms for many different women in America's transforming urban culture. The most familiar symbol of the 1920s and the biggest change of the role of women is no doubt the flapper. A flapper is usually a young woman with bobbed hair who wears short skirts and socially drinks and parties, she would also smoke and tend to speak unladylike. Flappers were also more sexually “free” compared to past generations of women (Roark 692). “Flappers” wasn’t just a term; it was also an idea. An idea of a free and independent woman, which ladies of the decade strived to be. Young Women were getting tired of the idea about slaving around a house and just being a housewife. Document 23-4 further proves this with letters from many different women stuck in what Margaret Sanger likes to call, “bondage of motherhood.” The letters talk about how many women have to take care of their kids and these mothers don’t get to live their own lives. The new freedoms and knowledge that women were obtaining around America, led to women thinking about their own futures for a change. The rise of the New women didn’t just happen overnight, it can be associated with many events in the 1920s. For example the 19th Amendment, which had guaranteed the right to vote for women, was ratified in 1920. Also many women were working in white-collar jobs in the 20s, so they could afford to