The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald 1896-1940• Distant relative of Francis

Scott Key• Met Zelda Sayre while at

basic training for WWI• She refused to marry him

until he proved his financial success

• Publication of his first novel made him an overnight literary sensation

• The couple were known for excessive partying and drinking

• Zelda was institutionalized for schizophrenia

• Fitzgerald died of a heart attack due to life-long alcoholism

Historical ContextI. Jazz Age & Roaring 20’s

A. Economic boom after WWI1. Wealthy families grew even

wealthier2. The newly rich spent money on

cars, houses, parties, etc.

B. Women’s Independence1. Independent women created

the “flapper” style2. Wore feather boas, bobbed hair

cuts, jewelry, and danced the “Charleston”

C. Prohibition1. Conservative groups managed

to make alcohol illegal2. Speak-easies and bootlegging

flourished

II. NYC & Urban Corruption

A. Politicians and police took bribes to ignore bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling

B. The era of the “gangster”

1. Arnold Rothstein controlled all illegal activities in the city

2. Gangsters like Al Capone became rich from bootlegging

C. Traditional morals were non-existent

III. The 1919 Chicago “Black Sox”

A. Chicago White Sox heavily favored in World Series

B. Arnold Rothstein paid off eight players to intentionally lose the series

C. Rothstein and his friends bet on the Cincinnati Reds

D. Rothstein appears in The Great Gatsby as the character Meyer Wolfsheim

Themes1. Culture Clash• Traditional Mid-Western

Values vs. amoral East Coast

• Old money vs. Newly rich• East Egg vs. West Egg2. American Dream• Self-made wealth &

happiness; youth & resourcefulness

• Corruption of the American Dream due to materialism

3. Appearance vs. Reality• Gatsby is not what he

seems • The attempt to re-

create the past4. Moral Corruption• There are no spiritual

values in a place where money reigns

• God and religion are dead

• There is no place for honesty and selflessness in Gatsby’s world