During the 1920's America was a country of great ambition,

despair and disappointment. The novel The Great Gatsby is

a reflection of this decade, it illustrates the burning passion

one man has toward his "American Dream" and the different

aspects of the dream. Fitzgerald's work is a reflection of

America during his lifetime. The Great Gatsby shows the

ambition of one man's reach for his "American Dream," the

disappointment of losing this dream and the despair of his

loss. America, 1920, the ambition in people soared; the

American people knew that if they tried they could succeed.

With the introduction flappers and the women's liberation

movement nothing was impossible to achieve. James Gatz,

"[. . .] the man who gives his name to this book [. . .]"

(Fitzgerald 2) had this ambition in him too. He was a man

who fought long and hard to earn his place in the world as

Jay Gatsby. He had dreamed of transforming himself from

the poor, young man that he was into the wealthy celebrity

searching for love that he would soon become. Gatsby, as a

child, had a daily schedule that he followed. He knew from

childhood that he had to work for his fame. "Jimmy was

bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this

or something" (175). Gatsby's ambition lay not only in his

future, but as he grew older it would be found in his love. He

had an obsession with Daisy Buchanan and tried everything

in his power to bring things back to they way they used to be

when they first met. He thought he could relive the past. He

threw lavish parties to get her attention, he did everything in

his power to be near her. " ‘Gatsby bought that house so

that Daisy would be just across the bay' " (79) He earned his

wealth so that they could finally be together. Like Gatsby,

the American people of the 1920's followed their hearts, and

had an ambition stronger than anything. Through World War

One, American men that fought to save their country and

woman fought to win the right to vote. Even in fashion

women were liberated, as the hemline on an average skirt

was raised. The ambition held in this country during this time

period was what built the society, much like Gatsby's

ambition which built and shaped his future with Daisy. Along

with the ambition of a country and a man in the 1920's, there

was also disappointment. America suffered the great crash

of the stock market which left many Americans pennyless.

This disappointment in America was also what lead to the

country's despair. Fitzgerald mirrored this great loss through

Gatsby's great loss. Gatsby lived his life for Daisy.

Everything he did was for her love, and soon his love would

be returned. Soon he would be left all alone. When Daisy

told Gatsby that at one time she did love Tom, he was

devastated. He was unaware of how one person could love

two people at once. Daisy also went home with Tom, and

went on a weekend getaway with him as well which left

Gatsby heartbroken, and alone. "He put his hands in his

pockets and turned back eagerly to his scrutiny of the house,

as though my presence marred the sacredness of the vigil.

So I walked away and left him standing there in the

moonlight– watching over nothing" (146). Gatsby knew he

lost Daisy when "[. . .] she came to the window and stood

there for a minute and then turned out the light." (146); at

that moment he his disappointment set in. The despair he

was soon to meet was setting in, just as America's did when

the stock market crashed. Gatsby had only one ambition,

winning his one true love lead to his death. When Daisy

killed Myrtle Gatsby was her scapegoat. He took all the

blame of the accident himself, and because of this Gatsby

was murdered. George Wilson was so distraught by the

unexpected death of his wife that he believed the only

answer would be to kill the man who killed his wife, and then

to kill himself (which he did). Gatsby was found laying dead,

in his pool. Gatsby's demise was a pitiful one, with only a

few at his funeral and the love os his life not sending flowers

nor a message. As Nick reminisces of Gatsby's funeral he

remembers this: "[Nick] tried to think about Gatsby then for

a moment, but he was already too far away, and then [Nick]

could only remember, without resentment, that Daisy hadn't

sent a message or a flower. Dimly I heard someone murmur

‘Blessed are the dead that the rain falls on,' and then the

owl-eyed man said ‘Amen to that,' in a brave voice." (177)

This incident was a microcosm of America's downfall. After

the crash of the stock market, America's economy hit a low

point. Americans had invested most if not all of their savings

into the stock market and when it crashed they were left with

nothing which lead to the Great Depression. There were not

many people there to help America get out of this

depression, there was no one. The Great Depression was

much like Gatsby's death – the fall of the great man, the fall

of great America. The novel The Great Gatsby mirrors the

decade of the 1920's. There is a resemblance of events from

America's great events to the great events in Gatsby's life.

Gatsby was a microcosm of the American people of this

time period. His life had peeks and pitfalls as did America

and his high points affected the people around him just as

America's high points affected everyone around it. The

outcome of World War One affected not only Americans

but Canadians, Jewish people, and Germans. Just as Gatsby

winning Daisy's love affected Tom, Nick and all the other

characters in one way or another. Gatsby's disappointment,

ambition, and despair reflect that of America in the twenties.

They are a representation of each other. The reflection on

the 1920's is depicted throughout The Great Gatsby with

every event that occurred in Gatsby's life, and himself as a

man is a representation of "America" or "The American

People." The novel shows all of America's great peeks and

falls in a smaller scale representation. This novel is one

example of Fitzgerald's mirrored work.