Getting to Know Fitzgerald through his Works Essay

People tend to reflect their life experiences through the actions people perform everyday. This is commonly seen in artists, musicians and authors, who use their work as a way of expressing themselves. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby uses the novel to reflect himself, and his past experiences through several of the main characters. Nick Carraway is written by Fitzgerald as a way of manifesting his own more innocent and kinder side. While Gatsby and the Buchanans are used to show the corruption and faults within himself. The Great Gatsby was written to express FItzgeralds view of the 1920s; not only did it provide social commentary on the corruption of the American Dream, but it also presented insight into Fitzgeralds†¦show more content†¦New music known as Jazz, emerged to help fuel the wild nature of the younger generation and became wildly popular. Although many objected to it’s vulgar nature, Jazz greatly affected the younger generation and resulted in the creation of dances such as the Charleston, the cake walk, the black bottom, and the flea hop (History.com 1). The Roaring Twenties were also a time of mass consumerism, â€Å"many Americans had extra money to spend, and they spent it on consumer goods such as ready-to-wear clothes and home appliances like electric refrigerators† (History.com 1). It was through these events that the unique culture of the 1920s was formed. The 1920s were not only a time of parties and fun, but also extensive political change and conflict. The ratification of the 18th amendment by Congress prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages. But, this only served to drive the liquor trade underground and helped gangsters like Al Capone emerged to supply the massive demand for alcohol. This resulted in a dramatic increase in crime and illegal activities. While the Prohibition served to protect the public from alcohol, The Red Scare helped riled them up. The encouragement of anti-communist views created a mass hysteria. In which, the government and society frantically worked to remove all communism from American often with unconstitutional methods. The hysteriaShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald850 Words   |  4 Pagesshe sought to give those who have been through tragic events such as deportation, a change to recreate themselves, a chance to give themselves a better life; the American Dream. (Stockwell, Dian e, trans. Dreamers: An Immigrant Generation’s Fight For Their American Dream.† Publisher Weekly (2014): 59-60. Literary Reference Center. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.) The writer F. Scott Fitzgerald is well known for his book The Great Gatsby that was written in 1926. Fitzgerald had ways of achieving the American DreamRead MoreBabylon Revisited Analysis882 Words   |  4 Pagesand redemption. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his main character Charlie Wales’ past, present, and desired future to paint a portrait of the things that he feels are the most important in life. Success is examined through the actions of Charlie and his wife during the height of their wealth and the strain that it can cause. Failure is unfolded in Charlie’s loss of wealth and family and finally, redemption is explored through Charlie’s desire to raise his daughter and control his apparent alcoholism. CharlieRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald960 Words   |  4 PagesEssay One phrase that an American is bound to hear at some point in his or her life, is the American Dream, but most don’t fully understand that concept. The majority of people never really have, they always think it’s supposed to be tangible, but it’s not. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes many aspects of American culture. One aspect that he criticizes very strongly is the American Dream. Fitzgerald shows the misconception that many have of what the Dream really isRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald947 Words   |  4 PagesFitzgerald wrote one of his most famous books The Great Gatsby, during the Age of Disillusionment. He focuses on the idea that everyone wants love, money, social class superiority,happiness, etc. The main American Dreams that Fitzgerald writes about are love and money. He shows that through his character s hopes and dreams. For example, Gatsby’s dream of being with Daisy and Nick’s hope f or becoming rich; even though to Fitzgerald they are only myths. The American Dreams are to find love and getRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald889 Words   |  4 Pages The Great Gatsby is one among many of the highly acclaimed novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the novel, the reader learns about the difficulties and trials of achieving the American dream. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby is an example of modern America. His family was dirt poor but he dedicated his time to achieving his dreams and now he has all the money he could want. Gatsby is self made; he lives in West Egg and has what is called â€Å"new money.† Five years prior, Gatsby met Daisy, a beautiful andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1523 Words   |  7 PagesScott Fitzgerald, does a tremendous job of allowing those conflicts to sneak up on the reader. In The Great Gatsby, the amount of conflict surely increases towards the end, and both internal and external conflict are being show n throughout the book. Nick Carraway, the main character, is very calm and collected, although he is going through many conflicts in the story, The Great Gatsby. Already somewhat shy, Nick is moving to New York to learn and take part in the bond business (Fitzgerald 3). AsRead MoreEssay On Symbolism In The Great Gatsby918 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscussing how F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, uses the techniques of symbolism and characterisation to position readers to view the George and Myrtle Wilson, a married couple living in the Valley of Ashes during the 1920’s. While the 20’s were a great time of optimism, Fitzgerald portrays the much bleaker side of the revelry by focusing on its indulgence, two-facedness, shallow recklessness. While we don’t know a lot about Myrtle and George Wilsons background, through the descriptionsRead MoreIn The Novel, The Great Gatsby, The Author, F Scott Fitzgerald,1422 Words   |  6 Pages In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the author, F Scott Fitzgerald, expresses the reality of the ‘American Dream’ through a series of unfavorable events set in the 1920s. The American Dream is to work hard young and retire early while being rich and in love. The character Jay Gatsby is chasing this dream throughout the novel. Gatsby has almost everything to complete the dream, he is rich, young, and in love but, the girl he loves, Daisy, is married to another man. Daisy’s husband, Tom, is rich andRead MoreAffairs, Nick, and Gatsby in Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby1255 Words   |  6 PagesGatsby. Gatz was a poor person that changes his name to Gatsby. Tom was a cheater and was unfaithful to Daisy. Daisy was a flirt and rich. Myrtle is a poor women that lived over her and her husband’s garage shop. Myrtle would let Tom push her around because he was a rich man that would let Myrtle forget that she was poor. â€Å"She never loved you, do you hear he cried. She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me (Fitzgerald 139)†. Tom is married to Daisy (Lisca). EvenRead MoreThe American Dream Through The Eyes Of F. Scott Fitzgerald1690 Words   |  7 PagesDream Through the Eyes of F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby has been criticized, cited, and known as one of the greatest works of American Literature. With numerous themes and focuses, one of the most valuable is represented in the American Dream and how F. Scott Fitzgerald analyzes his idea of this concept. The American Dream is a concept centering on successes in many terms, such as wealth and social standing. These successes are achieved through hard work and can