The Symbols Of The 1920s - 934 Words

The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar â€Å"consumer society.† People from coast to coast bought the same goods (thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores), listened to the same music, did the same dances and even used the same slang. Many Americans were uncomfortable with this new, urban, sometimes racy â€Å"mass culture†; in fact, for many–even most–people in the United States, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. However, for a small handful of young people in the nation’s big†¦show more content†¦By the end of the 1920s, there were radios in more than 12 million households. People also went to the movies: Historians estimate that, by the end of the decades, three -quarters of the American population visited a movie theater every week. But the most important consumer product of the 1920s was the automobile. Low prices (the Ford Model T cost just $260 in 1924) and generous credit made cars affordable luxuries at the beginning of the decade; by the end, they were practically necessities. In 1929 there was one car on the road for every five Americans. Meanwhile, an economy of automobiles was born: Businesses like service stations and motels sprang up to meet drivers’ needs. Cars also gave young people the freedom to go where they pleased and do what they wanted. (Some pundits called them â€Å"bedrooms on wheels.†) What many young people wanted to do was dance: the Charleston, the cake walk, the black bottom, the flea hop. Jazz bands played at dance halls like the Savoy in New York City and the Aragon in Chicago; radio stations and phonograph records (100 million of which were sold in 1927 alone) carried their tunes to listeners across the nation. Some older people objected to jazz music’s â€Å" vulgarity† and â€Å"depravity† (and the â€Å"moral disasters† it supposedly inspired), but many in the younger generation loved the freedom they felt on the dance floor. During the 1920s, some freedoms were expanded while others were curtailed. The 18th Amendment to theShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1389 Words   |  6 Pagesnot only of crime, changing action and roles of women, but also of many other different social and cultural trends. The 1920s was the Progressive era that was a response to the Gilded Age. The Progressive era was filled with many reformers that aimed to reform the social issues like the women’s movement who had started a temperance movement to prohibit people from drinking. The 1920s was also a time of a social gap where the wealthy got more rich and the poor increased and stayed beyond the povertyRead MoreSymbolism Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1130 Words   |  5 Pagesconstantly throughout the book. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses symbolism such as the eyes of Doctor. T.J. Eckleburg, the valley of ashes, and the green light as tools to develop the theme, the corruption of the American Dream. The distinctive symbols used in The Great Gatsby connect the ongoing themes of the 10920s throughout the novel with the social and morally destructive characters trying to achieve the American Dream, inflicting more internal and external conflict throughout the story. Read MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1210 Words   |  5 Pagesconsidered the 1920s as a transitional period that shifted Americans society from traditional values to a new era of modernization. During this time, the economy boomed, which made the 1920s one of the most prosperous era in the U.S. The Roaring twenties was associate as the era of consumerism, the prohibition and the disillusionment with the American dream. Many historians and Literature scholars recognized F. Scott Fitzgerald s novel, The Great Gatsby, as the iconic book of the 1920s. In the novelRead MoreEssay Cars in F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby695 Words   |  3 PagesGatsby, symbols are an important and integral part of what makes it a great novel. Though there are numerous and different aspects that could be explored, a repeated and often mentioned aspect are the revolutionary vehicles. Cars in the 1920s were a symbol of status and privilege as they were becoming increasingly affordable. Thoug h most people could own a car due to Ford releasing the Model T, the colored vehicles usually a sign of wealth and status. Fitzgerald often uses the car as a symbol of deathRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay983 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1920’s embodied a people who strove for wealth with complete disregard to the moral disgraces committed in the process of becoming rich. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby portrays the general feeling of the 1920’s through complex characters such as Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald uses symbols such as the billboard, the green light, and the valley of ashes to convey themes and propel the plot forward. T.J Eckleburg’s giant eyed billboard isRead MoreThe Green Light Symbolism In The Great Gatsby796 Words   |  4 Pagesachieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative†. But, by the 1920’s the American dream had become twisted and was more about becoming rich than being happy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, several symbols are used to illustrate the corruption of the American Dream. These symbols include the green light, the valley of ashes and the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg. A symbol that is repeated multiple times throughout the novel is the green light. The green light isRead MoreF.Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay967 Words   |  4 Pageshigh society in the Roaring 20s. F. Scott Fitzgerald captured all three with his literary voice. He made impressions everywhere with the supreme achievement of his third novel, The Great Gatsby. This novel is a tale of people’s exciting lives in the 1920’s. Fitzgerald uses the Great Gatsby to illustrate the American identity during the early twentieth century. Fitzgerald uses symbolism and narrative techniques to illustrate the materialistic chase of the American dream by upper-class society in theRead MoreThe Role Of Fashion During The 1920 S974 Words   |  4 PagesThe 1920’s was a time of great change.   (Some changes that happened during 1920s were the nation s wealth doubled, more americans lived in the cities, advancements in technology, and women being able to vote.) One big cha nge that occurred during the 1920’s social shift was the fashion industry. Fashion is something that reflects the beliefs and social standards of that time. This industry, along with others, had an immense boom during the 1920s. The evolution of fashion during this decade is describedRead MoreEssay on Symbols of The Great Gatsby 1249 Words   |  5 PagesThe 1920s were a time of big dreams, moral decline, and hardships in America . The Roaring Twenties were a different time altogether with its bootleggers and speakeasies, women becoming more independent, the poor becoming poorer, but through all this was The American Dream keeping the hope afloat. F. Scott Fitzgerald captured this era in his book, The Great Gatsby. Through his many symbols he illustrates the hopes, the forgotten God, and the oppressed Americans of the Twenties. The symbols inRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1076 Words   |  5 PagesIn the book, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzg erald, Gatsby is exemplified through many symbols and idols. Fitzgerald uses cars to represent wealth, success, status, and glamour. As Friedrich Nietzsche states, â€Å"There are more idols in the world than there are realities.† Nietzsche’s quote shows how idols and symbols are used to create impressions. Images are powerful and set a stage for others to judge one’s character, enabling human beings to avoid seeing what realities are. Idols are