Following the end of the First World War, a new social environment was developing in the USA. This new environment comprised of new music, new cultures, new economy, new technology and finally a new understanding (or rather misunderstanding) of morality. This had various reasons, it could be the relief that people felt about the war being over, or it could be that the people simply wanted something new. Supressed minorities gained acknowledgement and understanding: homosexuality was accepted and the African-Americans gained rights. Women gained suffrage and a new type of woman, one who had a vital role in society, one that had more independence and less moral values emerged and the term “flapper” was coined. This fertile decade gave birth to new lifestyles and new revenue sources where developing technology played a huge role. The combination of all these altered the people of America from the very foundation that their lives were built on. Ultimately, America’s post-WW1 years created a social environment conducive to the proliferation of personalities like those with whom Nick associates. The ones that have no morality, driven by a fake sense of hauteur and whom Nick despises.
The most important aspect of the new life in the USA was that there was an economic prosperity ruling the nation. This is also vital in understanding the idea of “The Great Gatsby” since many people whom Nick associates with, such as Daisy and Tom, is driven by the desire to earn more money. Of course, this would only last for a short period of ten years but nevertheless people had more money. This proliferation of the American economy was because of USA’s investments in Germany which caused the circulation of dollars in European countries. At this point in the USA, many people became more focused on their financial status than ever. As Nick is introduced to this new lifestyle where money rules the people, we see the world through the eyes of someone who belongs to the view of life before the First World War. The results are not satisfying, everyone is different than what they were earlier, when the war had not broken out. Even Daisy, Nick’s cousin is now a flapper. Nick is very disappointed in this new lifestyles that people have acquired. The most important character that symbolizes this part of the society is Tom. Tom is the one who has all the money and who has the fake sense of hauteur that wealth brings. The thriving of the American economy gave birth to the stereotypes of 1920s that are symbolized in “The Great Gatsby”, namely by Tom.
Another aspect that the 1920s was different from before had mainly to do with the woman of the time. After the First World War, women’s social status had been greatly altered. The woman that did not have the right to vote did not exist now, the woman of the 1920s gained suffrage and a new view of feminism was growing in the eyes of the women. “Flapper” was a prevailing class of woman who wore relatively short skirts, make-up (which before the war was looked down upon because it was related with prostitution) and had short hair. This class of women had less moral values than women of the past. Different than before the new women were not interested in social service, they wanted both a professional life and a family. The other development in woman was that they now had the chance to have a proper work: they could work in factories and in other areas which were deemed inappropriate for woman of the era. Daisy and Jordan, both significant characters in “The Great Gatsby”, belong to the “Flapper” class of the 1920s. Daisy is the other character that is a significant symbolization of the people of another stereotype of the 1920s. This class has no moral values like in the book. They only care about wealth and social status. Compared to other woman of their decade, they do not want to be independent workers, they want to live in the shadows of their husband and in wealth. The proverb “Behind every successful man, there is a woman” can not be said for this type of woman. Daisy is an extremely vivid symbolization of this character. As she chooses to be with Tom to be part of the wealthy part of the society, the fact that she sits home all day and takes care of her child is a very important part of the symbolization of this stereotypical woman. Daisy’s joy of lavish parties, her drinking in these parties and her joy in having money to spend on jewelry are very important characteristics of this type of woman: one which the post-WW1 America brought to life.
Finally there was a great impact on the life in the 1920s in the aspect of culture. Whereas people enjoyed classical music before the war, now there was a new type of music born in New Orleans, USA. This new type of music was called jazz. This jazz is not like the jazz that exists today but is rather more peaceful and is in fact called “sweet music” in our day. There was the dominance of string instruments in the jazz pieces of the time. Jazz became the symbol of the sophisticated, and the modern. People were now interested in dancing; there was a growing appreciation of dance clubs of the time, which would later florish to create the foundation of the discos of our day. One last impact on culture was associated with the invention of cinema, or “moving pictures” as they had called it at the time. In fact Warner Bros. was established in 1926 and the movies now were colorful and had sounds. The American Dream was now at its heights. The character had shows most of these qualities of the time is of course Jay Gatsby. His parties on Saturdays, the way people dance that is described in the book and the way musicians play jazz music all night. Gatsby is one character that is also fascinated by the “Roaring 20s” contrary to Nick. Even though he believes that wealth is what will make him happy, he still tends to stay away from the ideology that drives others like Tom. Gatsby’s dreams are not ornamented with wealth but it is ornamented with Daisy, which makes him completely different from the rest of the people with whom Nick associates. In “The Great Gatsby,” Gatsby is what represents the American Dream with his own dreams of happiness. Yet with the diminution of Gatsby’s dreams, Fitzgerald also reveals the vacuousness of the hopes of the people who whole-heartedly believe in the American Dream. Although these are true and Gatsby is not used as a direct condemnation of the 1920s, he is used to show another aspect of the days after the First World War: a more acceptable one when compared to the others.
A new society and hence a new world was created in the USA after the First World War. The new world that was created had many differences from what it was prior to the First World War. Moral values were severely altered, woman had new rights, including the right to vote, there was a new type of woman called “Flapper,” who would have been a pariah to the old society, ideas of feminism flourished and culture went through a metamorphosis which gave birth to jazz, dance and “moving pictures.” These led to the proliferation of the stereotypes of the decade which gave birth to the characters of Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,”: substantially to the ones with whom Nick associates. This era was therefore the era that set the foundations for the times that we live in. After all, how many differences can you find between the “Valley Girl”s of our day and the “Flapper”s of the “Roaring 20s?”
