American Identity In The Great Gatsby

The American identity in the 1920s had several components to it. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald revives these components through the characters of the novel. Jay Gatsby exemplifies several of these including the ones formed by prohibition and economics. Jay Gatsby embodies the American identity formed by prohibition as he is a bootlegger. Prohibition in the 1920s encouraged hypocrisy, crime and secrecy. Gatsby displayed all of these attributes in the novel. He saw an opportunity after the 18th amendment was passed and began to illegally sell alcohol. He kept his past a secret and his wealth drove him to lies and hypocrisy. All of this was caused by prohibition. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby to show what happened to the American people during the prohibition era.
Gatsby depicts the American identity created by the economics of the 1920s as well since he is financially successful through illegal business.
During the 1920s, the richest Americans were the ones willing to do anything for money like breaking the law. They no longer cared for what was moral but instead cared about money. The people who did make an honest living were not as rich if they were not born rich. Gatsby is used to represent only a part of the American identity during the 1920s formed by the economics of the time. However, he portrays an important part, the corruption of the people. The Great Gatsby depicts the American identity in the 1920s using characters like Jay Gatsby. He has been used to show the corruption, crime, and hypocrisy that defined the 1920s. F. Scott Fitzgerald used him to show what America had turned to during the “Roaring
Twenties.”