The Roaring Twenties:
The 1920s in America, known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of celebration after a devastating war. It was a period of time in America ccharacterized by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions.
New technologies, like automobiles (left), movies and radios, spread the idea of modernity to a large part of the population. There were also new ideas and theories that clashed with old traditions or religion.
In 1925, a teacher named John T Scopes was arrested for teaching the Theory of Evolution as this contradicted religion and their beliefs that God created the world.
The 1920's was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited "old money" and some obtained "new money". However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel. The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character who lives in a mansion. However, Nick Carraway, the protagonist of the novel and next door neighbor of Jay Gatsby, is an average man who does not have the fortunes that Gatsby has. He is too poor. Nick Carraway is part of the middle class in society while Gatsby is in the upper class of society.
Along with large sums of money, whether old or new, came lots spending, amusement, fun, pleasure and big, fancy and elaborate parties.
In the 1920fs, because of the separation of the rich and the poor, there were separate social classes and with that came conflict between the classes.
The upper class developed the eElite American Culturef which gave them the view that they were superior to the others around them. They also developed a bad view of lower class people as they did not mix with them.
The upper class represented themselves with rich, opulent and luxurious surroundings. They had large mansions, fast cars and modern technology which they showed off at large, elaborate parties.
During this time, there was the emergence of the flapperf(left) in American Culture. The flapper was a figure that women looked to be. She was a powerful individual with sexual allure, who saw herself liberated from the old Victorian ways. She had bright red lipstick and bobbed hair. She wore fashionable clothes, smoked cigarettes and consumed alcohol. She didn't have to listen to anyone and could do what she felt like. As many women looked best fit the description, they became quite rude and snobbish. They had added their part to the Elite American Culturef. By 1926, the flapper became a universal figure and young women everywhere wanted to emulate her.
When the war ended, people were very optimistic. They looked to put the devastation of the war behind and looked to follow their dreams, find new fortunes and build a life of pleasure. Thus, The Great American Dreamf was born. It was the dream to live in luxury and own whatever you desire, the dream to have a successful family with children and the partner of your wildest fantasies. This dream was rampant throughout American society in all social classes. People would do anything to try and realize this dream. Some people made an honest living and worked hard to reach their goal. Other people saw greater opportunity obtaining money by other means whether it was legal or not.
In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby obtains his wealth from a chain of drug stores that he owns in the Unites States of America. However, he has not fulfilled the American Dream. Although he has the wealth, he does not have any family of his own and this creates an empty void in his heart. He seeks to marry Daisy as she was his lover before the war, but they were torn apart as he had to go and fight in the war. He tries to get her back but she stays with her present husband Tom Buchanan
New technologies, like automobiles (left), movies and radios, spread the idea of modernity to a large part of the population. There were also new ideas and theories that clashed with old traditions or religion.
In 1925, a teacher named John T Scopes was arrested for teaching the Theory of Evolution as this contradicted religion and their beliefs that God created the world.
The 1920's was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited "old money" and some obtained "new money". However, there was the other side of prosperity and many people also suffered the nightmare of being poor. In the novel. The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a wealthy character who lives in a mansion. However, Nick Carraway, the protagonist of the novel and next door neighbor of Jay Gatsby, is an average man who does not have the fortunes that Gatsby has. He is too poor. Nick Carraway is part of the middle class in society while Gatsby is in the upper class of society.
Along with large sums of money, whether old or new, came lots spending, amusement, fun, pleasure and big, fancy and elaborate parties.
In the 1920fs, because of the separation of the rich and the poor, there were separate social classes and with that came conflict between the classes.
The upper class developed the eElite American Culturef which gave them the view that they were superior to the others around them. They also developed a bad view of lower class people as they did not mix with them.
The upper class represented themselves with rich, opulent and luxurious surroundings. They had large mansions, fast cars and modern technology which they showed off at large, elaborate parties.
During this time, there was the emergence of the flapperf(left) in American Culture. The flapper was a figure that women looked to be. She was a powerful individual with sexual allure, who saw herself liberated from the old Victorian ways. She had bright red lipstick and bobbed hair. She wore fashionable clothes, smoked cigarettes and consumed alcohol. She didn't have to listen to anyone and could do what she felt like. As many women looked best fit the description, they became quite rude and snobbish. They had added their part to the Elite American Culturef. By 1926, the flapper became a universal figure and young women everywhere wanted to emulate her.
When the war ended, people were very optimistic. They looked to put the devastation of the war behind and looked to follow their dreams, find new fortunes and build a life of pleasure. Thus, The Great American Dreamf was born. It was the dream to live in luxury and own whatever you desire, the dream to have a successful family with children and the partner of your wildest fantasies. This dream was rampant throughout American society in all social classes. People would do anything to try and realize this dream. Some people made an honest living and worked hard to reach their goal. Other people saw greater opportunity obtaining money by other means whether it was legal or not.
In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby obtains his wealth from a chain of drug stores that he owns in the Unites States of America. However, he has not fulfilled the American Dream. Although he has the wealth, he does not have any family of his own and this creates an empty void in his heart. He seeks to marry Daisy as she was his lover before the war, but they were torn apart as he had to go and fight in the war. He tries to get her back but she stays with her present husband Tom Buchanan
No decade in recent history has seen as much change in the status and style of women as the 1920s, sometimes called the Roaring Twenties or the Era of Wonderful Nonsense. Trendy young women of the 1920s were nicknamed flappers, and the flapper became the image that represented the tremendous change in women's lives and attitudes during that period.