Free Essay Example on The Roaring Twenties

Introduction

The roaring twenties, the 1920s was a period in time which was marked by a growing global economy. Since the world was going through a recovery period and awakening from the harsh reality of the actual damage resulting from the first world war, numerous unprecedented opportunities translated to material excess. However, the social setting in the masterpiece paints a rather vivid image of how much contrast and similarity there is between the modern socio-economic setting and the 1920s entailment. This paper aims to analyze, from a thematic perspective, how events and occurrences in society in the early 21st century relate to the 21st century's societal setting.

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Thematic Discussion

A theme well inscribed in the main story of the book is the theme of marriage. Discussed herein is how the book brings into life both the modern-day theme of broken marriages and how society generally feels comfortable with the vice. The theme of adultery is portrayed in the book, given the fact that married men and women still engage in sexual activities with other people other than their marital partners. For instance, Tom Buchanan is obsessed with Myrtle Wilson, a woman married to George Wilson.

Myrtle Wilson is depicted as a mistress to Mr. Buchanan, who is himself a married man. Used as a mare tool to satisfy Tom's fleshy desires, it downs on Myrtle Wilson that she will always come second. The decision to move away from the locale results in a heated argument, out of which Myrtle decides to run away from, consequently leading to her being hit by a car. Jay Gatsby tries to win back the love of her life, who is already some else's wife. To do so, he engages in various channels to both reach out to and spend time with her. In the modern setting, the aspect of people cheating in their marriage is becoming a norm that should not be celebrated nor tolerated (McAllister 3). Being faithful is a personal choice, although some people are married to people they do not love. Most circumstantial marriages do not last since matters of the heart are often too deep to understand.

Violence

Violence in today's society is a major social issue that threatens to break today's modern society's social fabric. Today, there are numerous wars, killings, and fighting that go on, not just in the US but also throughout the world (Comaroff and Comaroff 1). It is unimaginable to think that someone could just be killed intentionally by another person. More often than not, the blame is often directed elsewhere or excuses given in defense. Suicide is also a disturbing issue that the book seeks to unravel. In the novel's plot, The Great Gatsby is set in a post-war era that marks the beginning of a renewed race for economic development. Today, wars are still a major issue that still affects, displaces, and leaves many people lifeless. Violence on a societal scale in modern civilization is still a scary thing to imagine. People tend to violently react towards people who hurt them or seem a threat towards them. In an unprecedented twist of the novel's plot, George Wilson decides to avenge his wife's death by breaking into and shooting down Jay Gatsby. Social order is often disrupted by cases of people breaking into other people’s houses with the intent to steal or cause harm (Comaroff and Comaroff 62).

Advances in today’s security for modern homes rely heavily on technology rather than manpower. Another theme that the novel expresses is that of social segregation. The fact that Jay Gatsby was born poor, and he did not like that, shows the extent of the effects of discrimination based on social status. The wealthy in society often tends to despise the poor by making them feel worthless in society. However, it is to be noted that even for the wealthy in society, it becomes difficult to fit in and interact with other wealthy persons, especially if one was born poor. This notion in the societal setting of the 1920s is reflected in the novel through Tom Buchanan’s alignment on the opinion that despite the great efforts put in by Jay Gatsby to acquire wealth and find a place among the business elite of the town, he will never fit into the elite class since he was born poor. The actual reason as to why Jay Gatsby acquired all the wealth that he did was to be in a position to be able to marry the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy Buchannan was born to a wealthy family. This used to be the case in the traditional setting of the US in the 1900s, as Olivetti (2) reveals. Today, social stratification is still a problem that results in envy, depressions, violence, and murder among the conflicting and warring parties (Tammaru 450). However, new trends such as the marriage of Megan to prince Harry tend to defy the societal norms (Maclaren et al. 52).

Drugs and Substance Abuse

Drugs and substance abuse is a modern challenge that affects many people. The adverse effects of drugs and substance abuse on the health of an individual, family, and community is often a challenge that most governments around the world attempt to overcome. The issue of alcoholism was also a major problem in the early 1900s. Alcohol was banned by the nation in a quest to regulate the citizenry and re-popularize the concept of sobriety for a better and much more productive community (Beckingham 117). The illegalization of harmful substances and drugs often makes room for the sale and smuggling of contraband products and drugs.

The drug issue is a major issue that affects both the society and the individual from a multifaceted perspective, health-wise, financially, and socially. The ban on alcohol in The Great Gatsby fails to work in the country, resulting in alcohol being a drink so easily accessed and cheaply available. This leads people such as Dan Cody, the copper tycoon, into alcoholism. In the contemporary setting of society, drugs are often smuggled from border to border, ending up in the hands of the public. The war against drugs is, according to Schultz (51), lost entirely. Today, the harmful properties and effects of the drug marijuana have been overlooked, and given the trend, other drugs will become legalized, centuries to come.

Conclusion

The book Great Gatsby offers a wide array of themes that still echoes into our modern world. A century ago, the book was written to primarily focus on telling the story of the social paradigms that defined the 1920's American society. The American dream, often regarded as a socio-economic drive and slogan that pushed forward the notion of self-made success. The age-old American dream encapsulates the benefits that arise from the freedom of working in an economy that allows for every individual to attain socio-economic success. Success is to be brought by one's desire to pursue wealth regardless of their social status, birth circumstances, race, political affiliation, educational level, and financial situation. Drawn from the declaration of independence and still relevant today, the idea of the American dream revolves from the fact that all men are created equal, and with equal rights and opportunities, no American is bound from succeeding in their quest of having their dreams fulfilled.

References

Comaroff, Jean, and John L. Comaroff. The truth about crime: Sovereignty, knowledge, social order. University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Olivetti, Claudia, et al. "Who Married, (to) Whom, and Where? Trends in Marriage in the United States." (2020).

Schultz, DavID. "The failed war on drugs." Legal Marijuana: Perspectives on Public Benefits, Risks and Policy Approaches (2018): 51.

Beckingham, David. "Banning the barmaid: time, space and alcohol licensing in 1900s Glasgow." Social & Cultural Geography 18.2 (2017): 117-136.

McAllister, Paige, et al. "Sanctification and Cheating Among Emerging Adults." Archives of Sexual Behavior (2020): 1-12.

Tammaru, Tiit, et al. "Relationship between income inequality and residential segregation of socio-economic groups." Regional Studies 54.4 (2020): 450-461.