The 1920’s vicariously suggest itself as the enactment of the New World, the embodiment of the American Dream. Whereas the glittering backdrop of Manhattan’s infinite skyline alludes to a sense of interminable opportunities; such that, life’s ultimate conquest is the pursuit of happiness. Glamour, fame, money, and success became the quintessential axiom people worshiped. Women adorned in jewels, whilst men in flamboyant cars and ostentatious summerhouses. Benjamin’s were more like today’s Washington’s; little Lincoln’s were fictitious and so were Jefferson’s and Roosevelt’s. But are these all just a myth? As The Great War came to an end, young soldiers returning had new ideas; along with facing countless of death, they learned to enjoy the
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Settlers and pioneers migrated to the west from Europe, seeking wealth and freedom; however, The Great Gatsby depicts the tides turning to the coastal states as people are moving to gain wealth instead. Growing up poor and “in a rich boy’s world”, Fitzgerald paves his way to fame and fortune through his first book. There are literary critiques, Suzanne Del Gizzo being one of them, argues that his upbringing contributes to his realistic view: “The shift from a culture of production to one of consumerism was well underway.” (Gizzo). He portrays the two different social classes: “new money” and “old money” in accordance to the East and West Egg as motifs to suggest the disillusionment of the Dream. The “new money” class – Gatsby – lives on the West Egg and he gained his fortune through the 1920’s economic boom and becoming a “bootlegger”; thus he tends to overcompensate his lack of social connections with his lavish and leveraging display of wealth: “Rolls Royce” and “parties”. Gatsby’s fictional representation of himself derives from the idealistic counterparts. As a new decade arrives, scholars revaluate the once romantic idea of the American Dream: the Un-American Dream. Those who opt out of the traditional methodology create their own subculture – liberal reformers – and begin the inception of different movements (Hornung). As Tom calls Gatsby a “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere”, he is indicating that Gatsby is trying to "copy" what he perceives to be the manners of the upper echelon. This clearly condemns the result of excessive materialism from the result of pursuing the American Dream. The people who live on the East Egg – Tom and Daisy – are “old money” families that have fortunes and built up powerful and influential social connections; despite their prosperity, they are not overly pretentious and remain civil. Even so, they are no better than those who live on the West Egg
Settlers and pioneers migrated to the west from Europe, seeking wealth and freedom; however, The Great Gatsby depicts the tides turning to the coastal states as people are moving to gain wealth instead. Growing up poor and “in a rich boy’s world”, Fitzgerald paves his way to fame and fortune through his first book. There are literary critiques, Suzanne Del Gizzo being one of them, argues that his upbringing contributes to his realistic view: “The shift from a culture of production to one of consumerism was well underway.” (Gizzo). He portrays the two different social classes: “new money” and “old money” in accordance to the East and West Egg as motifs to suggest the disillusionment of the Dream. The “new money” class – Gatsby – lives on the West Egg and he gained his fortune through the 1920’s economic boom and becoming a “bootlegger”; thus he tends to overcompensate his lack of social connections with his lavish and leveraging display of wealth: “Rolls Royce” and “parties”. Gatsby’s fictional representation of himself derives from the idealistic counterparts. As a new decade arrives, scholars revaluate the once romantic idea of the American Dream: the Un-American Dream. Those who opt out of the traditional methodology create their own subculture – liberal reformers – and begin the inception of different movements (Hornung). As Tom calls Gatsby a “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere”, he is indicating that Gatsby is trying to "copy" what he perceives to be the manners of the upper echelon. This clearly condemns the result of excessive materialism from the result of pursuing the American Dream. The people who live on the East Egg – Tom and Daisy – are “old money” families that have fortunes and built up powerful and influential social connections; despite their prosperity, they are not overly pretentious and remain civil. Even so, they are no better than those who live on the West Egg