The Great Gatsby (e.g. Jun. 2014) | Page 8

Were the Roaring Twenties really that Propserous??

The 1920’s, also known as the Roaring Twenties to many lucrative Americans, experienced a wave of prosperity following World War I. The standard of living sharply rose as people spent wildly and involved themselves in ‘get rich quick’ schemes. Everyone wanted to share in the good times, regardless of how that wealth was achieved. Though many people experienced a taste of the aristocratic life, there was an evident disparity between social classes. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald exposes the growing inequalities between the upper and lower classes, while portraying the hollow, shallow nature of people during the twenties.

Early in the story, the reader catches one of the first symbols of social disparity through the description of Long Island homes. Many of the West Egg homes are illustrated as tasteless and bland, while residents of the East Egg possess elegant, lavish homes. Tom Buchanan’s and Gatsby’s enormous homes demonstrate the superiority with which upper class citizens felt they were entitled to.