F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby
Understanding the times helps
to understand the novel
Warm Up

What is the American Dream to you?

http://youtu.be/hNtKt1WQcZ4

Do you think that the idea of the
American Dream is still possible?

How does one reach the American Dream?
http://youtu.be/iYGc8-L_NmE
Influence of World War I

World War I ended in 1918.

Disillusioned because of the
war
 “The
Lost Generation.”

First war with modern
weaponry.

20 million people died.
Post WWI Influences

Americans abandoned small towns in exchange for
urban living

Economy prospered as Americans tried to forget
troubles of war
- frivolous spending
- illegal liquor
- immorality
Roaring Twenties

Economy booming

America partied

Organized crime

Prohibition Act

Decline of moral standards
SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE OF CHANGE
popularity of jazz
 change of the status of women
 fascination with the dream of success ($$$$$$)

Prohibition
18th Amendment to Constitution
prohibited manufacture and sale
of alcoholic beverages
 Bootlegging

 Boardwalk

Empire
Mob activity increased to supply
the demand for what was once
legal
 Mafia/
Al Capone/ St. Valentine’s
Day Massacre

Passed in 1919/ Appealed in 1933
F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio

Write 5 facts you feel influenced The
Great Gatsby writer F. Scott Fitzgerald

http://youtu.be/PL05VV040Ls
Who is F. Scott Fitzgerald?

1896-1940

He attended Princeton University.

1917 joined the army.

Published Gatsby in 1925.

Regarded as the speaker of the Jazz
Age.

After Gatsby, considered a failure in
any of his other writing, became a
drunk

His wife ended up in countless
mental facilities.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's Purpose for
Gatsby

He was a part of the “Jazz Age,” participating in the
wealth, decadence, and partying BUT

He never felt quite comfortable in this scene. This
book is criticizing the declining morals and values of
society in the roaring 20’s.

“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted
and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life” –Nick
Carraway The Great Gatsby
Characters of The Great
Gatsby

Jay Gatsby- The self-made wealthy man
who lives next door to Nick Carraway and
loves Daisy Buchanan
Characters of The Great Gatsby
 Nick
Carraway- the narrator, Daisy’s
cousin, Gatsby’s neighbor
 Daisy
Buchanan- married to Tom,
Gatsby’s love interest before the war,
socialite
Characters in The Great
Gatsby

Tom Buchanan- Daisy’s husband,
has an affair with Myrtle

Myrtle Wilson- Tom’s woman in
the city, married to George

George Wilson- owns the gas
station obsessed with his wife

Jordan Baker- Daisy’s friend,
professional golfer
Setting

Long Island, NY during the 1920s
(approximately 1925).

West Egg: A ‘hood in the Long
Island area. New money. Rich
people who have made money
rather than inherited it.

East Egg: A ‘hood in the Long Island
area. Old money. Rich people who
have inherited money going back
generations.

The Valley of Ashes: a poor area
between Long Island and Manhattan.

Manhattan: Manhattan.
Settings in The Great Gatsby
 West
Egg- where
Nick and Gatsby
live, represents
new money
 East
Egg- where
Daisy lives, the
more fashionable
area, represents
old money
Old Money Vs. New Money
Old Money:
New Money:
Money
Someone
from family
wealth
Born
rich
Respected
above all in
the 1920’s
who has
achieved the
American
Dream
Not
as
respected in
the 1920’s
WHAT IS THE AMERICAN DREAM?

It describes an attitude of hope and
faith that looks forward to the
fulfillment of human wishes and
desires.
“We hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by
their creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among
these are life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness.”
Gatsby is a character who represents
this DREAM.
FAILURE OF THE AMERICAN
DREAM
 Poverty
 Discrimination
 Exploitation
 Hypocrisy
 Corruption
 Suppression
Character Roundup:

You will be given a list of attributes that
correspond to the characters in the novel.
Start by identifying who you are. Don’t
show anyone this information.

You need to find the other three characters
in the novel.

Your classmates have been given attributes
for those characters.

You can ask each classmates ONE question
each. For example, are you rich? Are you
married? Do you die at the end of the
novel . . .

Do not tell your classmates who you are.
They need to figure it out.

Once you have all five characters
identified, you WIN!
Closure: Crash Course

What elements of 1920’s contributed to the
literature?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOR1XCMf7A