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.