After emerging from World War I in 1918, America itself was lost—economically and socially. The 1920s in America was a time of folly, splendor, and chaos referred to as the Roaring Twenties. People strove to find themselves, as the world around them shifted and evolved, but seemed to further lose themselves in the pursuit of social status and the eternal consumption, all for display and reputation. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how people who absorb themselves in physical and material pursuits, are truly obsessed with building the appearance of a perfect life.
The Great Gatsby, set in New York in 1922, centralizes its plot around the social division of East Egg and West Egg, New York’s two most prominent districts, and the complex lives of those who inhabit them. The characters and setting lend themselves to the excessive divisions among the social classes; the obvious being that of the rich and the poor, but further “by the inheritance of wealth and the consequent inheritance of gentility” (Veblen 5). Not only were people categorized by their wealth, but by their means of …show more content…
Consumption becomes a form of self-identity for those who were seeking reputability. Gatsby slyly inserts that he wants Nick’s grass cut before Daisy comes because we wants everything to appear perfect. Gatsby goes to every length to maintain a good outward appearance. He asks Nick, “What’s your opinion of me anyhow?” coming off as cool, but truly curious to find out what Nick things—constantly concerned with how he is perceived (Fitzgerald 65). At the first Gatsby party that Nick attends, Owl Eyes is amazed that Gatsby’s library is filled with real books. “Absolutely real—have pages and everything” he says while staring in awe (Fitzgerald 45). Gatsby goes to unending lengths for his reputation because his entire persona is based off of his established
The Great Gatsby, set in New York in 1922, centralizes its plot around the social division of East Egg and West Egg, New York’s two most prominent districts, and the complex lives of those who inhabit them. The characters and setting lend themselves to the excessive divisions among the social classes; the obvious being that of the rich and the poor, but further “by the inheritance of wealth and the consequent inheritance of gentility” (Veblen 5). Not only were people categorized by their wealth, but by their means of …show more content…
Consumption becomes a form of self-identity for those who were seeking reputability. Gatsby slyly inserts that he wants Nick’s grass cut before Daisy comes because we wants everything to appear perfect. Gatsby goes to every length to maintain a good outward appearance. He asks Nick, “What’s your opinion of me anyhow?” coming off as cool, but truly curious to find out what Nick things—constantly concerned with how he is perceived (Fitzgerald 65). At the first Gatsby party that Nick attends, Owl Eyes is amazed that Gatsby’s library is filled with real books. “Absolutely real—have pages and everything” he says while staring in awe (Fitzgerald 45). Gatsby goes to unending lengths for his reputation because his entire persona is based off of his established