Roaring Twenties and the Great Gatsby

The 1920Ѓfs in America, known as the ЃeRoaring TwentiesЃf, was a time of celebration after a devastating war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions.

New technologies, like automobiles (left), movies and radios, spread the idea of modernity to a large part of the population. There were also new ideas and theories that clashed with old traditions or religion.

In 1925, a teacher named John T Scopes was arrested for teaching the Theory of Evolution as this contradicted religion and their beliefs that God created the world.

The 1920Ѓfs was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited Ѓeold moneyЃf and some obtained Ѓenew moneyЃf. However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel ЃeThe Great GatsbyЃf, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character who lives in a mansion. However, Nick Carraway, the protagonist of the novel and next door neighbour of Jay Gatsby, is an average man who does not have the fortunes that Gatsby has. He is Ѓgtoo poorЃh. Nick Carraway is part of the middle class in society while Gatsby is in the upper class of society.

Along with large sums of money, whether old or new, came lots spending, amusement, fun, pleasure and big, fancy and elaborate parties.

In the 1920Ѓfs, because of the separation of the rich and the poor, there were separate social classes and with that came conflict between the classes.

The upper class developed the ЃeElite American CultureЃf which gave them the view that they were superior to the others around them. They also developed a bad view of lower class people as they did not mix with them.

The upper class represented themselves with rich, opulent and luxurious surroundings. They had large mansions, fast cars and modern technology which they showed off at large, elaborate parties.

During this time, there was the emergence of the ЃeflapperЃf(left) in American Culture. The ЃeflapperЃf was a figure that women looked to be. She was a powerful individual with sexual allure, who saw herself liberated from the old Victorian ways. She had bright red lipstick and bobbed hair. She wore fashionable clothes, smoked cigarettes and consumed alcohol. She didnЃft have to listen to anyone and could do what she felt like. As many women looked best fit the description, they became quite rude and snobbish. They had added their part to the ЃeElite American CultureЃf. By 1926, the ЃeflapperЃf became a universal figure and young women everywhere wanted to emulate her.

When the war ended, people were very optimistic. They looked to put the devastation of the war behind and looked to follow their dreams, find new fortunes and build a life of pleasure. Thus, ЃeThe Great American DreamЃf was born. It was the dream to live in luxury and own whatever you desire, the dream to have a successful family with children and the partner of your wildest fantasies. This dream was rampant throughout American society in all social classes. People would do anything to try and realise this dream. Some people made an honest living and worked hard to reach their goal. Other people saw greater opportunity obtaining