(Sandra) The Jazz Age: Observations on the Setting and Time Period

        Certain characters and relationships in The Great Gatsby are semi-autobiographical. Not only was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s relationship tumultuous and lavish, his spouse, Zelda, often caused the couple to go into debt by living beyond their limits. Their lifestyle embodied the Jazz Age and was symbolic of a new era – as the principles of the preceding generation declined, the stock market augmented. As the American Dream was put into play, it gave birth to endless possibilities and wealth. The luxuriousness of the Roaring Twenties (which was often accompanied by a sense of being emotional unfulfilled) is clearly displayed in Fitzgerald’s writing. Through the lens of Nick Carraway (an extension of Fitzgerald) comes an inspection of the effects of a nation’s fixation with a money-centered lifestyle. Could The Great Gatsby have the same potency if it were written after-the-fact, rather than during the Roaring Twenties?