American Culture In The Great Gatsby

The Roaring Twenties, as the very name suggests, is an era of great economic prosperity. America and its allies are victorious in First World War and while Europe is in absolute shambles, America is enjoying its new status as a major world power. Americans are in a celebratory mood and more than ever before, Americans have disposable income to spend. Advertisements become increasingly ubiquitous and they aggressively promote the idea that people can reinvent themselves by being in possession of these advertised products. Soon, the idea that anything, even social status, can be bought with money is engrained in the minds of many ambitious Americans.
The new world of the 1920s is brilliantly captured by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his novel, The Great Gatsby. It is a story about love, wealth, class, and corruption, but more importantly, it offers an in depth exploration of American culture in the 1920s. By alluding to real cultural artifacts of the time, Fitzgerald is able to reveal features of the 1920 scenery through a cast of fictional characters. The main character, Jay Gatsby, seizes the opportunity of the seemingly endless …show more content…
Although he was the son of poor farmers, in his imagination he was “a son of God” (Fitzgerald 105). Every day he followed a strict routine to improve himself. He would wake up early, exercise, study electricity, work, play sports, and practice his speech and posture (Fitzgerald 185). When he was 17 years old, he legally changed his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, but it was not only his name that he wanted to change – his name was only the beginning. His ultimate goal in life was not merely self-improvement, but self-invention. He did not want to be a better version of James Gatz, a poor boy from North Dakota, he wanted to be Jay Gatsby, someone brand new yet deeply rooted. And so began James Gatz’s journey to becoming Jay