The Great Gatsby: the Ironic American Dream

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place during the 1920s. The 1920s, also known as the “roaring twenties” was an exciting decade in the United States. At this time technology was booming, the U.S. was “learning about a new electronic media, radio, that artfully blended entertainment and news into a package designed for mass consumption. Automobiles and radios were joining the scattered audiences together, … broadcasts over the radio, [were now] discussed in the weeklies and dailies”(Streissguth). Along with this boom in technology, “By the census of 1920, the United States was for the first time an urban society, where more than half the population lived in cities … During the 1920s, the sudden acceleration of life, the confounded mobility and voting rights for women, and the arrival of immigrants and minority groups at new steps of the social ladder resulted in a counterrevolution that took many forms: the lKu Klux Klan, the Palmer Raids, and the most drastic of all -- Prohibition”(Streissguth). The 1920s was an interesting time period for the United States and for its citizens. The “roaring twenties” were shown in The Great Gatsby. The novel itself was a representation of the wealthy, New York society during the 1920s. These members of society had different lifestyles and went about their lives differently. The main characters of The Great Gatsby had their own views of the American Dream, in what they were trying to achieve, how their dreams were achieved, and the consequences in achieving their dreams. Although the American Dream is a symbol of pursuing a goal with hard work and determination, in The Great Gatsby the American Dream was a representation of materialism and the egotistical pursuit of pleasure. Jay Gatsby’s American Dream was one of love. Jay Gatsby only wanted to regain his love and relationship with Daisy. For example when