Good Times, Good Times...

World War 1 had a profound impact on the world and brought success and expansion to America; it instilled a new confidence and patriotism in the American people. This brought America into one of its greatest eras—the Roaring Twenties, also known as the Jazz Age. This era benefited all corners of the American society and brought economical and political advancements, as well as literary inspiration.

However, what directly caused this sudden economic prosperity? It can be mainly attributed to the highly active consumer market after the Great War and their investments in stocks. The 1920s was now a period where it was not uncommon to own a car, radio, telephone, and other luxuries that previously were only owned by the upper class. In class, we looked at a few ads which advertised useless products such as car curtains; this depicts the wealth among Americans and their desires to buy fancy, unnecessary things. Although, the Americans should be careful around this time because this excess wealth brought upon stability, pride, overconfidence, and then arrogance; this success foreshadowed the most tragic economic collapse known as the Great Depression.

Another improvement that was established during the Jazz Age was the 19^th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. This brought a major change in the role and importance of women in the society; the political equality that women sought for centuries was finally granted in the United States. The “new woman”, also known as the flapper, emerged and depicted their newfound independence and confidence in making an impact in society, both politically and socially.

All of this change broke traditional values and began a new era in literature—modernism. Many writers were inspired by this dynamic change to show their view of the changing views and traditions during the Jazz Age. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald exemplifies this period of wealth in the setting of The Great Gatsby through the character of the affluent Jay Gatsby.  The luxuries and freedoms enjoyed during the Roaring Twenties were taken for granted, but in the meantime it inspired many great Modernist contributions to American literature.