In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters, such as Tom and Gatsby, the plot, such as Gatsby’s chase for Daisy and Tom’s behavior toward other, and the setting, such as the Valley of Ashes or the prosperous New York City, have been shaped by the influences of World War I, the Prohibition, and the Jazz Age.
One of the social influences is World War I which ended in 1919. The war allows Gatsby to meet Daisy and to make her the ultimate dream of his life. Even though Gatsby might be from lower class and could not have possibly made Daisy fall in love with him, the uniform is a class equalizer that hides Gatsby’s true life, giving him a chance to rewrite and build his life. Not only does the war allow the couple to …show more content…
This period was the Jazz Age, witnessing the development of the extremes of wealth and want for pleasure. As an era of reckless spending and consumption, the materialistic among society increases. Daisy is one of the characters that is clearly materialistic. During the tour of Gatsby house, she comes across Gatsby’s closet and sobs, claiming that “it makes her sad because she has never seen such beautiful shirts before” (98). Not once does she shed tears out of any emotions when she finally meets Gatsby, the man who she claims to love, after five years, yet she immediately shed tears for the “beautiful shirts” Gatsby owns instead, demonstrating that for her, money comes before love. Gatsby also tries to touch upon her materialistic feelings with his grand parties, one of the prominent characteristics of the Jazz Age, that is open to everyone and anyone, “expecting Daisy to wander into one of his parties some night” (84). His efforts to attract Daisy with the parties, however, fails as Daisy “was appalled by West Egg” and was offended by the parties. As a person from “old money,” she already has her opinion on the “new money” of being disdainful; the party filled with drunkards further deepens her belief that these people are just low-lives. The materialistic aspect of the Jazz Age causes Daisy to fall in love with Gatsby temporarily while the parties emphasize the class
One of the social influences is World War I which ended in 1919. The war allows Gatsby to meet Daisy and to make her the ultimate dream of his life. Even though Gatsby might be from lower class and could not have possibly made Daisy fall in love with him, the uniform is a class equalizer that hides Gatsby’s true life, giving him a chance to rewrite and build his life. Not only does the war allow the couple to …show more content…
This period was the Jazz Age, witnessing the development of the extremes of wealth and want for pleasure. As an era of reckless spending and consumption, the materialistic among society increases. Daisy is one of the characters that is clearly materialistic. During the tour of Gatsby house, she comes across Gatsby’s closet and sobs, claiming that “it makes her sad because she has never seen such beautiful shirts before” (98). Not once does she shed tears out of any emotions when she finally meets Gatsby, the man who she claims to love, after five years, yet she immediately shed tears for the “beautiful shirts” Gatsby owns instead, demonstrating that for her, money comes before love. Gatsby also tries to touch upon her materialistic feelings with his grand parties, one of the prominent characteristics of the Jazz Age, that is open to everyone and anyone, “expecting Daisy to wander into one of his parties some night” (84). His efforts to attract Daisy with the parties, however, fails as Daisy “was appalled by West Egg” and was offended by the parties. As a person from “old money,” she already has her opinion on the “new money” of being disdainful; the party filled with drunkards further deepens her belief that these people are just low-lives. The materialistic aspect of the Jazz Age causes Daisy to fall in love with Gatsby temporarily while the parties emphasize the class