Scott F. Fitzgerald, the Roaring 1920s Society

In the 1920's, the United States economy boomed, bringing with it a new generation and way of living.

A "New Morality' was taking over the nation and replacing old traditional values (Appleby 612). New Mortality expressed youth and personal freedom (Appleby 612). This created a lifestyle based on parties and spending money (Hensley 4). This new way of life came with new inventions and technologies. The radio, phonograph, and movies were all invented during the 1920's.

The automobile also became an important necessity because it was a form of ntertainment, privacy, style, and gave the youth independence and freedom (Appleby 613).With new mortality also came the "New Woman". Young women's fashion began to change as well in the 1920's. Women 'bobbed' (shortened) their hair, wore loose fitting clothes, skirts exposing the knees, with flesh colored silk stockings (Branch 9). This stlye typically personified the flapper”a young, dramatic, and stylish woman, who smoked cigarettes, drank in prohibited speakeasies, and dressed in a way many found to be shockingly revealing (Appleby 613). F.

Scott Fitzgerald exposed and empowered the "New Woman" and the flapper society lifestyle, both in his own life and in the Great Gatsby. F.Scott Fitzgerald himself was a shining example of living out the new flapper society lifestyle. As a couple, Scott and his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald made tabloid newspapers with their extravagant lives. They experienced wild parties, had glamorous friends, and did wild stunts.

According to one reported occasion, Scott and Zelda "Jumped, fully clothed, into the fountain in front of New York's Plaza Hotel" (Hensley 18). Zelda Fitzgerald herself symbolized the lapper spirit. She told women to be "light-hearted [and] unconventional" rather than focused on "a career that calls for hard work" (Appleby 613).In 1921 Scott and Zelda had their first and only child, a daughter named Scottie, which expressed the new 1920's culture too as Scottie was usually a boys name (Hensley 19).

Fitzgerald's glamorous lifestyle directly influenced his writing. The new 1920's lifestyle of Fitzgerald transcended into his writing. The music, dances, fashions, slang, and conversation topics held of ring of truth in his writing because it came from xperience. (Hensley 18) His wife, Zelda was also the perfect inspiration for many of his female characters (Hensley 18).One of Fitzgerald's greatest works, The Great Gatsby, portrayed a lot about his own life and experiences. Many characters in The Great Gatsby were considered to be inspired by one of F.

Scott Fitzgerald's young loves Ginevra King. Ginevra King was young, beautiful, and wealthy when she first met Fitzgerald. They fell in love one winter break from Princeton in St. Paul, and held onto a long distance relationship by letters though Ginevra's family thought Fitzgerald was poor, and not good enough for the family.Fitzgerald's and King's relationship is close to that of Daisy's and Gatsbys in the novel.

Ginevra King married a man like Tom Buchanan, and King also had a friend named Edith Cummings who was a gulf player, Just like the character Jordan Baker (Hensley 21). The Great Gatsby also contains true history, from when Fitzgerald lived in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the lived, he'd of been a great man. A man like James J.

Hill. " (Gatsby 168). James J. Hill was one of the richest men in the United States during the twenties, and he lived in St.Paul, Minnesota, were Gatsby went to Saint Paul Academy. F.

Scott Fitzgerald empowered the New Women, as the ones he knew within his own life, in one of his greatest novels, The Great Gatsby. In the Great Gatsby the readers see the New Woman in the female characters, especially the main characters; Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson. All three women represent different versions of the New Woman but are mainly the same; while they all dress in the flapper style, drink, smoke, dance, and display modern independence and the new flapper society.Myrtle Wilson is married, but is having an affair with Tom Buchanan which was not traditional by any standards. Jordan has a career in golf, often was seen as a male- dominated sport.

Referring to her tan Jordan gets from the sun Nick observes, "her brown hand waved a Jaunty salute as she melted into her party at the door"(Gatsby 52). Daisy Buchanan is the only woman with child, but her life does not revolve around her motherhood. Her daughter Pammy is only seen once in the book, and mostly stays with a nurse which was untraditional for the 1920's. Daisy sat back pon the couch.

The nurse took a step forward and held out her hand. 'Come, Pammy. ' 'Good-by, sweetheart! ' With a reluctant backward glance the well-disciplined child held her nurse's hand and was pulled out the door..

. "( Gatsby 117). Although Fitzgerald brought light to the new flapper society and the New Woman, it is argued it was mostly in a negative connotation. The woman characters are, in the majority of the story, shown in a bad light in being "too aggressive" for the stereotypical woman. Mrytle Wilson is seen as the mess, the sloppy mistress.

As seen in the very first impression Nick observes about her, "... the thickish figure of a woman...

She was in the middle thirties, faintly stout... Her face, contained no facet or gleam of beauty..

. " (Gatsby 25). Daisy Buchanan is regularly portrayed as a spoiled brat, who is centered on only the best. At Gatsbys party, she is appalled at the "raw Vigor" of West Egg and sees lovely only the pose of the movie star and her director. In Nicks words, "the rest offended her - and inarguably, because it wasn't a gesture but an emotion.

" ( Parr 62).