A03 Flashcards
Context (10 cards)
Social Class Divisions: East Egg vs. West Egg
Old money (East Egg) represents inherited wealth and established aristocracy, while new money (West Egg) represents recently acquired wealth and social outsiders like Gatsby. This division highlights class tensions in 1920s America.
1920s America (The Roaring Twenties)
Post-WWI economic boom, cultural change, jazz music, and new social freedoms.
The American Dream:
The Idea that anyone can succeed through hard work. But by the 1920s, it became distorted, losing its original meaning, as society focused too much on wealth + material success rather than values like honesty and fairness.
Prohibition (1920-1933):
Ban on alcohol led to illegal bootlegging, organised crime, and secret parties like Gatsby’s.
Women’s Changing Roles:
Flappers were young women in the 1920s known for their bold style and behavior — they wore short skirts, bobbed hair, danced to jazz, and challenged traditional ideas about how women should act.
They symbolised new freedoms like independence and rebellion against old social rules, but they still lived in a society that expected women to behave in certain ways and limited their rights.
Postwar Disillusionment:
Many people felt lost after WWI, leading to a focus on pleasure and escape.
Consumerism & Materialism:
The 1920’s saw a rise in advertising and buying as a way to define identity.
Race & Immigration:
The novel reflects 1920’s racial attitudes, including exclusion and stereotypes.
Jazz Age Culture:
Music and dance symbolised freedom and fun (liberation), but also a time when traditional morals were questioned or ignored, leading to behaviours that some saw as reckless or immoral.
So, the era had both exciting new freedoms and a loss of clear moral rules.
The Lost Generation:
Writers and artists disillusioned by WWI, questioning traditional values.
Disillusioned: Disappointed in someone/something that one discovers to be less good than they had believed. (In this case patriotism)
