The 1920s was an era of great change. The role of women expanded, social classes became more defined, and materialism was on the rise. Many people in the 20s disobeyed the law and got to drink alcohol frequently. People also got more leisure time, which meant they were able to attend lots of parties, sports games, or travel. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a novel that takes place in the 20s and represents these societal changes quite well. In the novel, a man named Jay Gatsby changes his life substantially and goes from living in poverty on a farm in North Dakota to living in a mansion on Long Island. Gatsby made this change this by disobeying the law and bootlegging alcohol. With all the money he made from bootlegging, he was able to buy an expensive house, clothing, and lots of alcohol, and get into the higher class of people. There are many other changes from the 20s represented in this novel such as the change of the role of women, as they were treated much differently then than they are now. Another change is the rise of materialism, as people in the 20s began valuing items because of their brand, cost, or reputation to others. The Great Gatsby shows the cultural and societal changes that took place during the 1920s and even demonstrates how they have helped shape modern day society. The role and treatment of women, the differences in social class, and the love and rise of materialism are some of the most important aspects of change from the era, and they are essential elements of the novel.
The 20s was a revolutionary time period for women, as they were finally starting to get equal rights. However, in The Great Gatsby, some of the men treat women quite poorly and unfortunately, women in the novel did not get all the freedoms that women were receiving in this time period. Although women were getting more rights and freedoms during this time period, men still had a great deal of control over them. Most women didn’t work and relied heavily on their partners to make their money and support their families. One of the characters in the novel, Myrtle Wilson, demonstrates how lots of women lived in the 20s. Myrtle was married to a poor man named George Wilson, although she was having an affair with a rich man named Tom Buchanan. She got whatever items she wanted because her boyfriend Tom was extremely wealthy. In the text, women were treated quite badly, and almost as objects. There are many times in the novel when women are mistreated. An example from the novel where a woman is blatantly mistreated is “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (37). This takes place at a party and he breaks Myrtle’s nose for talking about his wife, Daisy. This quote shows Tom’s disregard for being polite and shows that hitting women was acceptable back then, as he got no punishment. There were also very diverse statuses of women in the novel. Daisy was always surrounded by wealthy people, wheres someone like Myrtle was not. Daisy switched from being a relationship with Gatsby, to Tom, and back to Gatsby again. Myrtle was married to George, but she cheated on him with a richer man, Tom. This shows that although these women come from different classes, they both have interest in being with a man with a lot of wealth. This love of wealth and being able to get whatever they wanted is also connected to materialism, which is another key element from this era.
Materialism and wealth are also important elements from the novel and the 1920s. In the 20s, many people valued things just because of their cost and not because of their quality or durability. Wealth also made women fall in love with men that they were not truly in love with. A quote from the text that shows the characters’ love for materialistic items is “They’re such beautiful shirts’, she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts” (92). This quote is from when Daisy literally sobs and cries over Gatsby’s wardrobe. Gatsby uses his collection of expensive clothes to try to “win” Daisy over and she cries of joy. This shows that people during this era were very influenced and in love with having or being around expensive things. There are many other characters in the novel that show off their riches and expensive belongings. Gatsby also owns multiple cars, which he uses to show off his wealth and luxurious taste. “On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains.” This quote shows that Gatsby has a collection of some expensive cars that are always on the road, which shows people that he can afford and drives costly vehicles. Another quote that shows the characters’ love of wealth and their use of money is “And on Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before” (39). This quote shows how the main character, Jay Gatsby, pays servants to setup before and clean after his gigantic parties. Gatsby also pays lots of moneys to get food and drinks for his parties, which appeals to Daisy, who is the girl he is trying to attract, because she has a love for expensive things. Also, he fact that Gatsby buys lots of expensive alcohol is ironic, as he does not drink or really even seem to enjoy his parties, and mainly throws them to try to attract his love, Daisy Buchanan.
A final aspect of 1920s society shown in The Great Gatsby is social class. Many people in the 20s cared a lot about their social class. High class people were essentially able to do as they pleased and low class people were usually farmers or they were unemployed. Social class is a very big part of the novel, as the main character, Jay Gatsby totally changes his social class by bootlegging, although there are many other times in the novel where class comes into play. Many characters in the novel who are doing illegal things, do not face any consequences because of their wealth and class. In the 20s, alcohol was totally illegal, which meant people were not allowed to manufacture, sell, or drink it, although many rich people in The Great Gatsby disobey this law and do as they please. At all of Gatsby’s parties, alcohol is present and being drank. All the rich, high-class people can drink it without worry. Although alcohol is not only illegally present at Gatsby’s house, as many other characters drink it. An example from the text that supports this is “I have been drunk twice in my life, and the second time was that afternoon” (29). This quote is from when Nick gets drunk on whiskey at Tom and Myrtle’s apartment and none of them face any legal or moral trouble. However, alcohol is not the only thing the wealthy abuse in this novel. Gatsby and Nick get pulled over by a police officer for speeding and get off scot-free because Gatsby has a white card. A quote from this scene is “We slowed down. Taking a white card from his wallet, he waved it before the man’s eyes. “Right you are,” agreed the policeman, tipping his cap” (68). This quote shows that Gatsby, and other cardholders have what's essentially a “Get Out of Jail Free card” and they can escape and avoid any consequences. The policeman even goes as far to say “Excuse me!” (68), which shows that he has to apologize, because the cardholders have so much power. A final example from the novel that represents the difference in social class is the way that Tom talks to Myrtle’s husband, George, as he talks down to him and flaunts his expensive car in front of him. A quote from this scene is “‘Hello, Wilson, old man,’” said Tom, slapping him jovially on the shoulder” (25). This shows that Tom treats him as an old pal, but shortly after, Wilson asks when Tom is going to sell him his car. Tom tells him “‘Next week; I’ve got my man working on it now.’” (25), and Wilson responds with “‘Works pretty slow, don’t he?’” (25), in which Tom replies with “‘No, he doesn’t, and if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all’” (25). Tom gets hostile when Wilson interrogates the upperclassman professionalism of his “man”, even though he is not going to sell him the car anyways. Whenever the two of them run into each other, Tom does whatever he can to show his authority and seem like the bigger man, which shows just how much he cares about Wilson knowing that he is upper class and Wilson is lower class.
There are many societal aspects of the 1920s represented in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The role of women, the differences in social classes, and the rise of materialism are three of the most important elements. Many trends from the 20s are represented in the novel quite well, through the characters and the actions they make. Throughout Gatsby, some of the characters show that they truly only care about money and expensive things, not experiences or genuine people or environments. Although materialism was not the only element connected with rich people, as many high class characters act cocky around people of lower class and they flaunt their belongings. The wealthy people in this novel also have many connections with the law and can avoid legal consequences, especially regarding drinking during Prohibition, as alcohol was illegal in the era. Finally, the role of women was changing, and they were getting more rights and were becoming able to do more things, such as voting and expressing themselves more. In the 20s, there was a group of women known as Flappers, who essentially spoke up for their individuality and stood by the belief that they could live without the controlling and helping hand of men. Although in the novel, many women were restricted by their partners, most of which they stayed with because of their affluence. Some men even used their relationships with women as a status indicator to show that they had the best and prettiest women. Wealthy people, both in the novel, and in the 1920s, cared a lot about materialism, social class, and women. They weren’t the most genuine people and they primarily cared about having money, fun, and a good reputation to the people around them. The Great Gatsby is an excellent reference to truly show the key aspects of The Roaring Twenties, how the people behaved, and even how the era helped shape modern day society.