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Sophie Ruder
Mr. Hackett
10th Grade English
5/29/12
Paul Getty once said that “The Roaring Twenties were the period of that Great American
Prosperity which was built on shaky foundations.” The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott
Fitzgerald takes place during this time period. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, who is in
the middle of every characters story. Gatsby, who is Nick’s neighbor, has been in love with a girl
named Daisy, who is Nick’s cousin, for five years. Everything that Gatsby has done has been for
Daisy. Daisy is married to Tom, who has a mistress named Myrtle. Myrtle and her husband
George Wilson live in a town out of West Egg. The Wilsons don’t have as much money as
Daisy, Nick and Gatsby, and are never invited to parties. The story line is comparable to a soap
opera. The novel takes place during the time of prohibition and the roaring twenties. The
interpretation of the ‘20s in this novel is highly accurate. From the parties, to the prohibition, to
the opportunities, the characters and story aren’t too far off from the 1920s. I believe that this
novel represents the historical information from the 1920s.
Right from the start, we are introduced to the main character, Nick Carraway. He is at
one of the many parties that takes place during the story. The 1920s are also known as a partying
age. These years were just before the Great Depression, when the stock market had increased, so
everyone who had the money was partying and being careless with their money. In The Great
Gatsby, it seems as if everyone has a mistress other than their significant other. In the 20s, since
everybody was ecstatic and partying, they didn’t really stay faithful to their spouse. In chapter
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two, Nick is talking to Catherine about Myrtle and Tom. “Neither of them can stand the person
they’re married to.” This shows that neither Tom nor Myrtle care about their spouse or wants to
be with them. Later, Catherine says about Daisy, “It’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart.
She’s a Catholic, and they don’t believe in divorce.” Nick goes on to say how Daisy is not a
Catholic, and could care less. This goes along with the fact that during the twenties there were a
lot of lies going around. A husband would go to a party with his wife, and later that night drive
out to see his mistress. The twenties were a time of drunkenness, parties and lies.
In this novel, Jay Gatsby can be considered a gangster. A gangster is someone who is
involved in an organized crime. There are many points throughout the story when someone
would hint towards the fact that Gatsby was a gangster and was involved in illegal activity.
“Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.” (44). This quote is spoken about Gatsby
at a party of his. The rich in the 20s weren’t very faithful to their friends or family, because while
at a party thrown at Gatsby’s house, his guests are talking about him. Gatsby was made out to be
a gangster because of the things that were said about him. Gatsby and Nick go out to lunch with
Mr. Wolfsheim, and Mr. Wolfsheim mistakes Nick for a new business partner. Gatsby responds
very quickly and surprised, that his reaction makes it look like he has something to hide. “’Oh,
no’ he exclaimed, “this isn’t the man.’” (71). During the twenties, alcohol became illegal. It was
called the Prohibition Era. There were still many men who bought and sold alcohol illegally. The
writing in this story hints to the fact that Gatsby was one of those men. The way Gatsby is
portrayed is very similar to that of a bootlegger or gangster. The lavish parties he throws shows
off the amount of money he has that he has gained from participating in illegal activities. The
gangsters from the 20s were very secretive about their work, and so is Gatsby. Al Capone is one
of the most recognized gangsters from that time period. Capone started his career by first
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working for Johnny Torrio, who helped him in the business and to get jobs. This relationship is
much like the one that Gatsby had with Meyer Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim helped him become the
man he is today, teaching him the ways of the business. Because of all these reasons pointing to
the fact that Gatsby is a gangster, the accuracy of the gangster story line is high. It is not so far
fetched to have gangsters do the things that Gatsby has done. This shows that the novel is
accurate to the actual 1920s.
Defined by Merriam-Webster, the American Dream is the traditional social ideals of the
United States, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity. This means that the dream is
an idea of obtaining equality for all, democracy, and extravagant materials such as houses or
cars. During the twenties, Americans tried to achieve the American dream by working as hard as
they could to earn money so they could live luxurious lives. The American dream is portrayed
entirely through Gatsby. Gatsby grew up with little money, and worked his way through school
and the war to eventually meet Dan Cody who helped him earn his money. Also, the American
dream consists of love. When Gatsby first met Daisy, he was instantly entranced. From that
moment on, for the next five years, everything he did was for her. The house he bought, the
parties he threw, his money, friends, etc. Everything was done to impress Daisy, and to
eventually achieve the American dream of having money, and a family. Everything that Gatsby
has done in his life has been relatable to the American Dream. This part of the novel is accurate
to the 20s because there were many people during this time that tried to achieve their ultimate
goal which might have been wealth, family, democracy or equality.
The Great Gatsby is set during the 1920s. The events and descriptions in this book are
highly accurate to the historical twenties. The parties and lies during this novel are accurate
because the 20s were a time of partying and having fun. The stock market was booming, and the
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people were ecstatic. They wasted their time on partying and getting drunk. Everyone was out of
control and having fun. I doubt that they stayed faithful to their spouses. The representation of a
gangster was accurate as well. Gatsby was very secretive with his work and phone calls, which is
how an actual gangster would work as well. Gatsby earned his money from an unknown source,
which is common for bootleggers. The American dream described in this novel is very similar to
the dream that the people of the twenties tried to achieve. The prosperity in this book is shown
through Gatsby and Daisy and is portrayed correctly. This novel features the main aspects of the
1920s. The Great Gatsby is very historically accurate.