The Great Gatsby The Corruption Of The American Dream

The Great Gatsby: The Corruption of the American Dream The Great Gatsby may appear as a novel containing dramatic, twisted relationships; however, the main theme has to do with the culture of the 1920s, and how it leads to the downfall of the American Dream. The 1920s were an age of change: politically and socially. The nation’s wealth nearly doubled, leading many Americans into a prosperous society, while others experienced extreme poverty (The Roaring). People began performing, women wore flapper dresses and smoked; it was very much a popular time to be bold. One major event that contributed to the culture change in the 1920s was the ban on alcohol. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution banned the manufacture and sale of liquors, which closed every bar and tavern around. Even though it was illegal to sell alcohol, people still found a way to purchase it through speakeasies. Young people had the time of their lives during the early 1920s by attending parties every weekend co ntaining excessive alcohol. Many of the older generations, however, were unsure of this new culture because it was so different from the norm. Drinking was a symbol of all they disliked about the contemporary city, and eliminating alcohol would, they believed, turn back to an earlier time. The idea of the American Dream arose due to the Declaration of Independence stating that, â€Å"All men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty andShow MoreRelatedThe Corruption of the American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby1345 Words   |  6 PagesFitzgerald portrays the American Dream, originally a set of goals that included freedom, settlement, and an honest life with the possibility of upward social and economic mobility earned through hard work, as corrupted and debased by the egotistic materialism of the 1920s, an era which Fitzgerald characterizes chiefly by its greed and lavish hedonism, in his celebrated novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald, in The Great Gatsby, seeks to discredit the supposed purity of the American Dream and belief that anyoneRead MoreEssay on The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby1302 Words   |  6 Pages On April 10, 1925 F. 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