Values And Goals Of Society In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

Topic 7, Values and Goals of Society in The Great Gatsby The 1920s were a period in history marked by the end of the First World War and the ensuing economic boom. This great economic change also brought on an immense social change: the loss of traditional morals and a shift in the focus of life for society. In the novel The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates this replacement of ideals of society in this time period through his characters. The values and goals of society in The Great Gatsby are far from those of tradition, such as living a meaningful life, upholding family values, and putting in hard work, instead the society places an importance on the immoral and corrupt values of immediate pleasure, living for …show more content…
The people of this time drift through life aimlessly, because they do not feel that anything is worth importance or permanence. Daisy exemplifies this trait of the era when she says, “What’ll we do with ourselves this afternoon…and the day after that, and the next thirty years?”(118). The principle desire and goal of Daisy and the other characters in the novel is to have their immediate pleasure needs met and to live lavishly in the moment. This is encouraged by the prosperity of the time, where a surplus of money makes it so that few people let the need to plan their lives in advance, because they assume their wealth will remain forever. Wealth and pleasure are the only things the society wants to be permanent. Her life lacks purpose or aim, other than the pursuit of immediate …show more content…
People wanted wealth and pleasure out of life, and these desires are driven by the values of money and a “Carpe diem” mindset. A mindset such as this often leads to the using of other people in the hopes of attaining this goal of wealth and living in the moment. Personal pleasure and wealth, a hedonistic and selfish goal, is demonstrated in the hordes of people that flock to Gatsby’s parties like moths to a flame. Hundreds of guests came to his extravagant and glamorous parties that were fitting with the ideals of society at the time, but none of the guests attempted to make a personal connection with Gatsby except for Nick. The people used him for his illegal liquor and his luxurious home, but wanted nothing to do with a personal connection. This same immoral goal is illustrated when the trio including Tom stops by Gatsby’s house for drinks, but when Gatsby offered that they stay, in hopes of making a personal friendly connection, they ungraciously exit while he is in the house. People at this time are driven by the goal of pleasure, which keeps them from establishing personal connections or a real aim for their