The Great Gatsby Research Paper

Submitted By mckenziepowell
Words: 1172
Pages: 5
Open Document
The 1920’s, known as the "Roaring Twenties" in America was a time of celebration after a devastating war. America was characterized by wealth and hopefulness in this age. The 1920’s marked an era of great change, particularly for women. It showed major impact and marked significant changes in woman after the war, with changes in their careers, fashion, and lifestyle. The Great Gatsby is a book that explored the life in the early- to mid-1920’s. Published in this era, it gives us a vivid description of that time by demonstrating symbols and character behaviors and the impossibility of American dream. The women in this book represent the women in this era and many aspect of the 1920s lifestyle.
As the war began, men were called to duty and the woman had to enter the work force to help provide for their families. During this time, the woman’s independence grew and they began to believe they could make an impact on society. When the men returned from the war the woman were unwilling to go back to their old lifestyle of being homemakers. These new style of women has no plans in their life and they can afford to wait that life happens to them. (Women in the 20's) This same year the 19th amendment was enacted, which gave woman the right to vote, making their independence even more crucial. Although many women chose to work, not all women did however; most women were strong believers in women’s rights in this era. Some women such as the character Daisy in the book The Great Gatsby, did not work but used men, including her husband Tom to fill her desires of a wealthy and bountiful life. “He gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars” (pg: 76). At first Daisy tries to break out of the mold of her past for love however, once Gatsby goes off to war Daisy falls back into the life style she once knew when Tom buys her love. Daisy felt as if Tom provided for her and gave her the independence she yearned for through money and material things. This was much different from the women who were, at the time fighting for their independence and rights. During this time, people began to spend their money on consumer goods such as cars, radios, telephones, and refrigerators. People also began to spend time and money on recreation and leisure. Professional sports began to grow in popularity, and movies and tabloid newspapers gained a foothold on America, helping everyone to share, in one way or another, in the growing materialism that categorized the Jazz Age.
The Jazz Age struck a new sense of style for woman. Woman began bobbing their hair and wearing corsets in attempt extenuating their hips, waist, and breasts, in a way to reinvent themselves and make their own rules. Women began making an image for themselves through fashion and money. Even Daisy was described as the most popular of all the girls in Louisville. In the book, Jordan makes a statement about Daisy, “She dressed in white, and had a little white roadster.”(pg: 74-75) Myrtle was much like Daisy and yearned for a bountiful life full of money and materials things. She would much rather be treated like a dog by a man with money such as Tom, then cared for by her husband Mr. Wilson who had little money. Another illustration from the book was when Myrtle and Tom were arguing about Daisy. Tom struck Myrtle; “Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” (pg: 37) Jordan also was a product of this lifestyle; however, she played golf, which is how she made her money. Jordan was a young, wealthy, mostly single woman who was admired by men wherever she went. This era was all about creating an image for everyone to envy, this required money and a higher lifestyle then most could afford. Many envied woman such as Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan because of their lifestyle and money.
Many of the wealthy had a regular social life of parties and gatherings. Gatsby was known for elaborate parties. “People were not invited, they went
Show More

Related Documents: The Great Gatsby Research Paper

Why Is The Great Gatsby Great

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is great because of the way he is perceived by the people for living out the the American Dream. Gatsby's mansion, lavish parties and wealth give him a reputation of being great because he is living what people dream of. Gatsby is also great because he is a genuine romantic and will do anything to obtain his lifelong love Daisy, who is occupied by another man, Tom. Gatsby believes that Daisy doesn't truly love Tom and that Daisy truly loves him…

Words 1449 - Pages 6

Gatsby: The Great Gatsby and Gatsby Essay

THE GREAT GATSBY.. In the Great Gatsby the story is narrated in the past tense and seen through the eyes of Mr Nick Carraway.He is a young man from Minnestota, who after serving in World War 1, went on to New York to learn the bond business. He moves to the West Egg and soon becomes friends with his neighbour, the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald, the author uses the the settings of the East and West Egg to present the differences in the classes and the demise of the American dream in the…

Words 1007 - Pages 5

Gatsby: The Great Gatsby and Gatsby Essay

11 (3) 22 April 2013 Lies and Deceit Frederick Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby portrays a rich man who obsesses over the love of his past and as a result ends his life. Lies and deceit take a major role during the novel, the biggest lie of them all being Mr. Jay Gatsby himself. All humans are innately dishonest and superficial which reveals the characters true disposition and as a result leads to discontent and in Gatsbys case, death. Frederick uses Symbolism, Characterization, and Diction to…

Words 1001 - Pages 5

Is The Great Gatsby Really Great

In life we aim to be great to always be caring and loving towards others and to have a legacy everyone will remember, but it's not easy to be all good. Not everyone is truly great everyone has flaws. To be great we must have Integrity and a special set of morals that we won't ever turn against, they always do the right thing. We must think of others before ourselves and do everything we possibly can to be good. Gatsby has fabricated an entire life built up with lies, the people around him are no…

Words 1638 - Pages 7

Love In The Great Gatsby

topic of many novels, movies, and songs. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, people see many different themes but the one that stands out to me most is the theme of love. The relationships in The Great Gatsby are not always centered around love, instead some are centered around status or wealth. Also, we see in the book how far some people are willing to go in hopes to acquire the one they love. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses the characters to…

Words 497 - Pages 2

The Great Gatsby Analysis

Fitzgerald wrote the classic, “The Great Gatsby” in 1925. It is considered a portrait of the golden age of jazz and all of its excesses. A typical book on the story begins with Jay Gatsby meeting and falling in love with a young Daisy while he is still an impoverished officer. When he is sent over seas Daisy marries the very rich yet brutal Tom Buchanan. Gatsby pursues wealth endlessly until he is a self made millionaire. Gatsby moves to New York and buys a great mansion. He begins to throw lavish…

Words 264 - Pages 2

Essay on The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' he proves the American dream to be nothing people pretending to be something they're not in hopes of a better life. So is the American dream still a living dream today? Well you would think it would be because you still hear some people still talk about it here and there, so that's what I hoped to find out. Here are some things I discovered in the process. It seems the American dream is very popular in American…

Words 1312 - Pages 6

Hope In The Great Gatsby

world is centered around fantasizing and dreaming, just like in The Great Gatsby. F Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, wanted “something new and beautiful”, this book was exactly that as millions of copies were sold. The book was published in the 1920’s; surrounding wealth, parties, alcohol, materialism, and love. With all of the events in the book, they are all tied to some sort of ‘hope’. In the novel The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the color ‘green’ to symbolize the main character…

Words 795 - Pages 4

Relationships In The Great Gatsby

within The Great Gatsby Throughout the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald compares the connections between Gatsby/Daisy, Tom/Myrtle, Nick/Jordan; there are importance to these individuals. They can be between lovers, friends, and families. The novel shows these, but also the wrong types of relationships such as people having affairs.Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the relationships between the different characters, are dysfunctional, arrogant and materialistic. One can see that Gatsby and Daisy…

Words 840 - Pages 4

Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald is a man who believes that God can be found in many places, which is prevalent in his book, The Great Gatsby. Throughout The Great Gatsby, one can find a plethora of religious references that are brought to light by the book’s characters Owl Eyes, Doctor Eckleburg, and Gatsby.This symbolism is found in the character’s actions and how the other characters react to them. One prevalent character that represents a divine deity is Owl Eyes. Within the book, there are several instances…

Words 1511 - Pages 7