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Great Gatsby context - Coggle Diagram
Great Gatsby context
WW1 and the Jazz age
Politically speaking, the 20's was a time of growth and prosperity with a lot of cynicism and corruption. This gave birth to the jazz age.
The Jazz age was a glamorous decade noted for cultural, artistic and social developments. But this dissolved into the Wall Street crash and triggered the Great Depression.
Both Gatsby and Nick served in the world war. The extravagance of Gatsby's reflected the lavish and golden decade. However there was still a clear status quo.
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The American Dream
America was advertised as the 'land of opportunity', a place where if you worked hard enough, you would be successful and wealthy, regardless of social background. E.g Irish escaping potato famine.
Fitz believed that American dream boiled down to pursuit of wealth, he wrote about widespread materialism. This is ironic because Fitz was very indulgent in this decadence.
Despitebeing invested in the American dream more than other, he never achieves it. Myrtle is another example of this. She showcases the lower class desire and 'frenetic quest for wealth'. She clings to the American dream whose coldness 'kills her'.
Gatsby's car is a symbols as it's' symbol of restlessness and power' (Kathleen). Kathleen continues to note that the impersonal death machine violates Myrtle's female identity, a 'symbolic rape'. A product of the dream.
Fitzgerald
He fell in love and asked her to marry him. She agreed but her desire for wealth, leisure and luxury made her delay the wedding until he was successful. In 1920 he published 'This side of paradise' and became an overnight literary sensation. This persuaded her to marry him.
With all riches and fame, the Fitzgeralds fell into a reckless lifestyle of parties and hedonism. His desperation to please Zelda by writing more drove him to alcoholism, their relationship was very turbulent. Zelda then had an affair.
In 1925, he published Gatsby earning him more fame and wealth, their most turbulent relationship. The couple ended their relationship but he continued writing despite his alcoholism impeding his writing.
Race and prejudice
Thousand of immigrants arrived in the 19th century to follow the American dream, the high concentration led to tension and prejudice between the groups.
Older established immigrants came from Northern Europe and identified themselves as American. This group felt uncomfortable with the new immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe.
The real Gatsby
A lot of the book was autobiographical. Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald idolises his social class and marries a women outside his social class. He tried very hard to prove his social standing and secure her love. However unlike Fitzgerald Gatsby didn't indulge in alcohol or parties.