Historical & Social Context. Copy of The Great Gatsby. Corruption of the American Dream. The Demise of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby – InfoRefuge.com. Outwardly, The Great Gatsby may appear to merely be a novel about the failed relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan.
However, the major theme of the novel has much less to do with love then with the culture of the 1920s as a whole. In this article, the various cultural elements reflected in The Great Gatsby which led to the downfall of the 1920s American Dream will be discussed, as well as their implications for the characters in the novel. During the 1920s, the perception of the American Dream was that an individual can achieve success in life regardless of family history or social status if they only work hard enough. In the book titled “Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity”, the author Roland Marchand describes a figure that he feels represents the quintessential 1920s man who is living the American Dream.
The culture of the wealthy Americans represented in Gatsby was defined mainly by consumerism and excessive material wealth. Narrative Techniques in the Great Gatsby. Audio and online version. Study Guides. Exam Resources. Literary Context. Articles. Podcasts. Modern Context. Year 13 'The Great Gatsby'