F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby - 3894 Words

F. Scott Fitzgerald is known to be one of the most influential writers of America. He is known to have perfectly captured the essence of the â€Å"Jazz Age† and written one of the greatest novels, also known as The Great Gatsby. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896 where he attended St. Paul’s academy. There, he published his first composed piece on the school newsprint. Later, he attended Princeton, where he wrote musicals; due to struggling with his grades, Fitzgerald dropped out and joined the army. Fitzgerald moved to New York in 1919 and released his novel a year later. Immediately, his novel was a bestseller, from which he rose to fame. In 1957, he moved to Paris for inspiration, where he published The Great Gatsby. As†¦show more content†¦He threw flashy and extravagant parties only trying to catch the attention of Daisy, a former lover. Fitzgerald then describes â€Å"Valley of Ashes†, a deserted and dull area which represents the poor. It seems that the poor are disrespected and do not like living in the Valley of Ashes. In fact, Myrtle ends up dying when she tries escaping which shows that the poor are stuck there, not by choice, and cannot get out. This is parallel to their financial status, since there was a huge financial gap between the upper class and the lower class. The Great Gatsby is also set in New York City, which represents â€Å"the American Dream†, a significant topic in this novel. New York is known as a melting pot of people hoping to pursue different aspirations and dreams from all over the country, and even the world. Both Gatsby and Nick are from the Midwest who hoped to make it big at one point of their lives. One of the most important factors of the setting is that it is set in the 1920’s. Americans in this time period were known to have a superfluous amount of wealth. Americans had extra money and spent it on consumer goods, mostly cars. Time was revolutionizing; wom en were officially given their right during the 1920’s. They felt freer than ever before, both emotionally and sexually. However, the most important part of this time period was when there was a â€Å"cultural civil war† (The Roaring Twenties. History.com. AE