Married men infatuate themselves with elegant dresses as bootlegged alcohol permeates the air. Jay Gatsby’s parties depict the absence of morality during the infamous Prohibition Era in American history. F. Scott Fitzgerald reached the climax of his writing career in the Roaring 20’s. Fitzgerald’s historic, fictitious classic, The Great Gatsby, was set in the prime of the Jazz Age, in and around New York City, the hub of social and material wealth, when morality was the least concern of the general public. Mobsters roamed the streets. Bootleggers filled drugstores with prohibited liquor. Women’s hair got shorter along with their hem lines. Fitzgerald portrayed the immorality from the decade in not only the insane Gatsby parties, but in the
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“Girls bobbed their hair and shortened their skirts while boys filled their flasks with bootleg gin,” (Beers 621) January of 1920 began the unscrupulous activities when the constitutional amendment, prohibiting buying or selling liquor, was ratified. “Speakeasies” sprung up all over the country. Prohibition invented the bootlegger, many of whom became mobsters. The most famous of the mobsters was Al Capone (Moore Chapter 1). The notorious gangster “supplied 10,000 speakeasies, employed 700, and grossed $60 million in one year,” (Conlin 639).Crime greatly increased during the decade, impart to the prohibition. Even the law officials were on Capone’s pay roll. (Moore Chapter 1) Another corrupting medium, the movie industry exploded in 1919. The majority of the films featured scandalous themes, fascinating the young and concerning the old. Scandals became prevalent amongst the Hollywood society. Many of the older generations objected the obscenities; however, the youth of America embraced the ideals as seen in The Great Gatsby. Darwinism, additionally contributed to the corruption of American society. Although the theory was introduced in the nineteenth century, the Scopes “Monkey” Trial brought Darwinism to the forefront of America’s attention. Although Scopes was convicted, many Americans accepted the Darwin theory, rejecting the fundamentalist theory. The corruption of …show more content…
Fitzgerald specifically chose every exposition detail to impact the readers in a certain way. The year was 1922, America’s parties climaxed while morals rapidly declined. As previously mentioned, the Prohibition had begun a few years before. However, the law did not deter youth from alcohol, rather the statute lured in the generation. The famous Gatsby parties embodied the typical youthful worldview, Epicureanism, “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” The New York Times observed The Great Gatsby was written “when gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” (The New York Times). Gatsby’s insane parties featured the archetype of morality at the time. Men brazenly appeared with mistresses, while drunkenness touched every guest amidst the prohibition. Even the most morally sound individuals fell to debauchery or the likeness. New York City was the hub of the roaring lifestyle. Reckless parties, similar to Gatsby’s, permeated the society. Fitzgerald viewed the East, including New York, as adventurously wild and immoral. The West and Midwest represented security and foundational morals. The main characters and Fitzgerald himself, grew up in respectable Midwestern towns and homes. Fitzgerald and his characters migrate East seeking adventure and the twenties lifestyle. Along with the era, seasons play a crucial role in the setting. The majority of
“Girls bobbed their hair and shortened their skirts while boys filled their flasks with bootleg gin,” (Beers 621) January of 1920 began the unscrupulous activities when the constitutional amendment, prohibiting buying or selling liquor, was ratified. “Speakeasies” sprung up all over the country. Prohibition invented the bootlegger, many of whom became mobsters. The most famous of the mobsters was Al Capone (Moore Chapter 1). The notorious gangster “supplied 10,000 speakeasies, employed 700, and grossed $60 million in one year,” (Conlin 639).Crime greatly increased during the decade, impart to the prohibition. Even the law officials were on Capone’s pay roll. (Moore Chapter 1) Another corrupting medium, the movie industry exploded in 1919. The majority of the films featured scandalous themes, fascinating the young and concerning the old. Scandals became prevalent amongst the Hollywood society. Many of the older generations objected the obscenities; however, the youth of America embraced the ideals as seen in The Great Gatsby. Darwinism, additionally contributed to the corruption of American society. Although the theory was introduced in the nineteenth century, the Scopes “Monkey” Trial brought Darwinism to the forefront of America’s attention. Although Scopes was convicted, many Americans accepted the Darwin theory, rejecting the fundamentalist theory. The corruption of …show more content…
Fitzgerald specifically chose every exposition detail to impact the readers in a certain way. The year was 1922, America’s parties climaxed while morals rapidly declined. As previously mentioned, the Prohibition had begun a few years before. However, the law did not deter youth from alcohol, rather the statute lured in the generation. The famous Gatsby parties embodied the typical youthful worldview, Epicureanism, “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” The New York Times observed The Great Gatsby was written “when gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” (The New York Times). Gatsby’s insane parties featured the archetype of morality at the time. Men brazenly appeared with mistresses, while drunkenness touched every guest amidst the prohibition. Even the most morally sound individuals fell to debauchery or the likeness. New York City was the hub of the roaring lifestyle. Reckless parties, similar to Gatsby’s, permeated the society. Fitzgerald viewed the East, including New York, as adventurously wild and immoral. The West and Midwest represented security and foundational morals. The main characters and Fitzgerald himself, grew up in respectable Midwestern towns and homes. Fitzgerald and his characters migrate East seeking adventure and the twenties lifestyle. Along with the era, seasons play a crucial role in the setting. The majority of