The Great Gatsby as a Representative of the Jazz Age

The notorious portrayal of the 1920s is often characterized as an era of abundant prosperity, lavish lifestyles, and “new aged” philosophies. This image, however, was only the surface of a skewed decade filled with deep cultural discord. Underneath all the glitz and glamour of the racy flappers and the fiery jazz bands was a dueling battle of old school Victorian ways versus new aged America (Mintz). This glorious “jazz age,” as Mr. Fitzgerald put it himself, was “an age of miracles, and age of art, an age of excess, and it was an age of satire” (Sickles).

After WWI ended in 1918, The American society experienced an abrupt age of economic and cultural miracles (McDougal Littell Inc 425). What was once a country in great turmoil and despair had rapidly become a country rising into power, wealth, and prosperity. With this great change also came an enormous transformation of the American way of life (412). Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby captured this transformation exceptionally well with its representation of east egg and west egg, as symbols of societies ever-changing cultural views (Fitzgerald 101). Fitzgerald’s “eggs” were two land masses in New York’s Long Island Sound that were separated by a small bay of water. Although they were only a short distance away from each other, the two eggs served as social barriers which were not to be crossed (9). The east egg was reserved for New York’s aristocratic social class that had been brought up in the pre-war Victorian era. It represented the many wealthy family chains who wanted to keep their elite social status and way of life the same, like how it was before WWI (10). The west egg, however, was home to a new breed of Americans: the rising and rebellious youth of the jazz age; and it sent out a message to all the world. A new dawn of civilization had finally arrived- an age of universal abundance, extravagant parties, and flashy lifestyles (44).

This defiant new generation of Americans also brought forth a fresh, new take on culture and society as a whole (McDougal Littell Inc 444). As America’s hunger for entertainment expanded, many young artists, actors, and musicians answered the call for these colorful, new forms of enjoyment (450). The magnificent age of art had truly begun, and in many urban cites across the country, like New York and Chicago, the allure and charisma of jazz music quickly became the premier choice for dancing and extravagant affairs (456). In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Mr. Jay Gatsby, the main character, was known for throwing elaborate affairs, where there was always a live jazz band to cater to his guests. This was the grandiose music of the decade (Fitzgerald 44). In fact, Mr. Fitzgerald himself coined the term “jazz age” to describe the vivacious, hip swinging era of the 1920s (McDougal Littell Inc 450).

What we now know to be true about the jazz age was that it was actually an era of superficial prosperity. However, many Americans back then bought into the preconceived notion that this glorious time period would last forever (McDougal Littell Inc 426). During the 1920s, the American economy skyrocketed, and for many, it was greatly known as the age of excess. Numerous American’s standards of living changed drastically, and America as a whole possessed over 40% of the world’s wealth (425). Mr. Klipspringer, Gatsby’s butler, once quoted “One thing’s sure and nothing’s surer. The rich get richer and the poor get- children” (Fitzgerald 101). Mr. Jay Gatsby knew of this quote all too well. He had great wealth and notability, but like most people who strive for material things: money couldn’t buy him

happiness. He was always squandering his money and throwing lavish parties to win approval by his fellow piers, but the one person who he genuinely cared about was off limits (Colburn). Daisy, the “woman of his dreams” happened to be married to another man, but somehow Gatsby thought that his surplus of wealth would be enough for her to leave her marriage and run away with him into “happily ever after.” Whatever the reason was behind Gatsby wanting to be with Daisy, he was unsuccessful in his task. He, like so many other hopeful Americans, would soon discover that this age of excess was nothing but an unrealistic dream (Fitzgerald 172).

The latter part of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quote, “an age of satire,” turned out to be the most accurate. Underneath all the glitz and glamour of the jazz age layed an era of faulty business practices, turbulent relationships, and double standards (Richards). In fact, the extortion of the jazz age penetrated in Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (Miller 168). By delving into Gatsby’s skeptical business practices, we find that Fitzgerald gives many hints of Gatsby participating in illegal activities. However, they are not completely distinguished. This can be compared to the nonexistent American Dream that oh so many Americans strived for. They invested vast amounts of money into risky stocks and other faulty business revenues, hoping to receive a plentiful return, but in the end, they got burned (Colburn). On October 29, 1929, they would soon discover what would be known as one of the worst catastrophes in American History- the notorious stock market crash (McDougal Littell Inc 469).

Another satirical relationship between The Great Gatsby and the jazz age was Mr. Gatsby’s love for Daisy. His vision of having Daisy, a married woman, all to himself was an idle goal from the beginning, but he was too awestruck by the love he once shared with her to realize that his vanished past would never again become a reality (Richards). Gatsby’s biggest mistake was doing everything within his power to try and re-create the happy past once found between him and Daisy (Colburn). He even went as far as taking the blame for killing Myrtle, Tom’s lover, rather than letting Daisy suffer the consequences (Fitzgerald 151). In return, all Gatsby received from Daisy was a broken promise, and a broken heart (172). In one perspective, Daisy Buchanan was a loving wife and dependable mother, but in retrospect, she was living a double life filled with half truths and a secret affair involving Jay Gatsby, thus making her just as atrocious as her cheating husband, Tom (Berman 87).

The Great Gatsby represented every false pretense of how life was during the 1920s “jazz age”. It was thought to be a period of lavish lifestyles and abundant prosperity; however, this was only on the surface (Richards). Underneath, it was home to some of the most devious social and economic corruptions of all time (Miller 168). Fitzgerald’s use of east verses west egg was a symbol of America’s ever-changing society, and discontentment in people was a prevalent theme found throughout The Great Gatsby (Richards). The east egg society used power, money, and manipulation to ease their troubles, as did the Buchanan’s. Tom and Daisy showed their true colors, by using their social status and the power of money to bail them out of the inevitable truth: their cowardice was to blame for Myrtle and Gatsby’s untimely deaths (Fitzgerald 187). Instead of showing Mr. Gatsby the decency of appearing at his funeral, they simply moved to another home to forget their shameful past (172). Every Saturday Jay Gatsby threw elaborate parties filled with crowds of people, yet at his funeral none of his “friends” were there (Richards). This coincided with the 1920s hedonistic way of life. None the less, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us… tomorrow we will

run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning- So we beat on. Boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Nick Carraway, qtd. in Fitzgerald 189).