Written during the 1920s, The Great Gatsby accurately depicts lives of excess and false hopes during that time. The moods, tones, and themes of The Great Gatsby obviously reflect the 1920s culture in America. Considered a rebellious time, the "roaring twenties" and the "jazz age" refers to a time that represents change, excess and a decade of great social change. The novel first depicts the greatness of living during this time. Then it presents consequences of extravagance.
The main theme of The Great Gatsby, the moral and social decay of the 1920s, represents Fitzgerald's view of his time. The Valley of ashes symbolizes this decay and the eyes of TJ Eckelburg symbolize God looking at the decaying morals and the plight of the poor. A victim of the bad morality of the rich, George Wilson lives next to the valley of ashes. The mood of The Great Gatsby, hot in the middle of summer, reveals something about why characters act the way they do. During hot and stuffy summer months, people tend to become antsy, nervous, and do not feel comfortable staying in one place.
Gatsby personifies corruption with his weekly extravagant parties and his desire for material possessions. Because of this desire, he pursued an illegal profession commonly termed "bootlegging". Daisy, with a lifestyle typified by selfishness and greed, instigates Gatsby's resorting to crime to impress her. She loves money, and cannot love anything more than money. She bases her decisions on it. Tom, who cheats on his wife, also helps to show the moral decay of the time. His excessive and selfish ways lead to the unhappiness of his family and the death of Myrtle Wilson, her husband George Wilson, and Jay Gatsby. Nick, close to the opposite of Gatsby, personifies morality and goodness. As an honest man, he does not fall into the trap of greediness, as the other characters do.
During the 1920s, prohibition took place and alcohol became illegal with the 18th amendment.
