The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The 1920’s was a time of prosperity, World War 1 had just ended and it was a time of recession. After the war, everyone wanted to be rich and famous, but nobody wanted to work for it. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby was a story that told everyone what it was like during a time where the American Dream was everyone’s goal. The characters in The Great Gatsby all believed they were living the American Dream because they were extremely rich and very popular. Some characters like Tom Buchanan believed he could do anything he wanted to because of his status in society. Jay Gatsby was a symbol for everyone in the 1920’s for what they all wanted to become. He was incredibly rich that the public thought he had the best life anyone could
For the first half of the story, people continue to spread rumors about Gatsby’s backstory. It is not until Gatsby’s neighbor, NIck Carraway moved next door to Gatsby that he finally opens up to somebody. Gatsby tells Nick about his past with Nick’s cousin Daisy and how thee two of them were in love when Gatsby was poor. However, Daisy tells Gatsby that “Rich girls don’t marry poor boys.” When Fitzgerald wanted a change of scenery while living in France, he wanted to write a novel that was different. Charles Scribner 3 wrote that “From the start Fitzgerald wanted The Great Gatsby to be a consciously artistic achievement, something beautiful and simple and intricately patterned.” (F Scott Fitzgerald on Writing The Great Gatsby) Fitzgerald considered Gatsby to be his “ imaginary eldest brother,” (F Scott Fitzgerald on Writing The Great Gatsby) he wanted to reach that level of fame again. Although The Great Gatsby sold few copies during Fitzgerald’s life and had many mediocre reviews, Fitzgerald believed the novel to be his greatest work. He believed it would be the one thing that defined him and what would soon define the 1920’s and the false precepts of the American
This was a time where people were celebrating the end of World War 1 and a time during the Prohibition. This period of time was called the “Roaring 20’s,” World War 1 ended on November 11, 1918. That caused a recession for many people, which sparked celebration all throughout America. Time was changing in the 20’s, in the year 1920, the US Census indicated that the national population exceeded 100 million people. Also in 1920, the League of Nations was established with the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. 1920 ended with women finally receiving the right to vote and Warren G. Harding winning the presidency over the Democrat James Cox. In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington