1920's

The 1920s era went by such names as the Jazz Age, the Age of Intolerance, and the Age of Wonderful Nonsense. America had survived a deadly worldwide war. The new decade would be a time of change for everyone. At the beginning of the 1920s, the United States was converting from a war time to peacetime economy.when the weapons from the war were no longer needed, there was a temporary stall in the economy.In this decade, America became the richest nation on Earth and a culture of consumerism was born. It was the time of the $5 workday, good worker pay for those days. People spent money for better roads, tourism, and holiday resorts. Real estate booms, most notably in Florida, sent land prices soaring. Technology played a vital part in delivering the economic and cultural good times that most of America enjoyed during the 1920s.
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Henry Ford blazed the way with his Model T; he sold more 15 million of them by 1927. Ford's assembly line means of production was the key. The automobile's popularity, and construction of roads and highways public funds into the economy brought tremendous economic prosperity.The radio found its way into virtually every home in America. Following the first public station, KDKA, in Pittsburgh, thousands more went on the air across the country. Radio became a national pastime; many listeners would gather in their living rooms to tune in sports, concerts.The number of people living and working on farms reached its peak at 32,530,000 back in 1916. The majority of the farms were relatively small operations. New technology in the 1920s caused farm work to be more easier.
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Science and medicine and health advanced remarkably during the same period. Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921. Diphtheria became better controlled in 1923 by newly introduced immunization. With the Flapper's focus on dieting and her popular look came a significant change in the dietary habits of Americans as a whole less fat and meat, and more fruits and vegetables. The discovery of vitamins and their effects also occurred around the same time. People became more careful in what they ate.During the 20's mens fashions became less stuffy and they tried to look more youthful but womens fashions changed much more drastically with women dressing in a way they felt comfortable with not to accentuate the feminine attributes but as a statement of who they were.
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Dan Cody

Jay Gatsby's real name was James Gatz. The moment when he decided to change it, when he was 17, was also the moment that began his career. Dan Cody had a very big part in this movement of Gatsby's life. James had been walking along the beach in a torn green jersey.Dan Cody's yacht dropped anchor over Lake Superior. When Gatsby saw this, he borrowed a rowboat, and pulled out to where Cody was on the water and warned him that the "wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour."Over the next few years Gatsby was steward, mate, skipper, secretary and even jailer for Dan Cody, and was very trusted by him.http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/section6.rhtml


Cody was a heavy drinker, and one of Gatsby’s jobs was to look after him during his drunken times. This gave Gatsby a healthy respect for the dangers of alcohol and convinced him not to drink himself. When Cody died, he left Gatsby $25,000, but Cody’s mistress prevented him from claiming his inheritance. Gatsby then dedicated himself to becoming a wealthy and successful man."Cody found Gatsby to be smart and ambitious man.During the time he travelled with Cody, Gatsby experienced a glamorous life far removed from his North Dakota upbringing.He also attended parties with the wealthy.http://www.gradesaver.com/the-great-gatsby/study-guide/section6/

Dan Cody was an enormously wealthy old man, a millionaire many times over, who had earned his fortune mining silver.He helped gatsby learn and gave him shelter when he didnt have anyone to go too.He mentored Gatsby when he was a young man and gave him a taste of elite society. Though he left Gatsby a sum of money after his death, it was later seized by his ex-wife.Serving as a mentor in Jay's youth, Cody was a millionaire yachtsman whose inheritance was invalidated by a woman, Ella Kaye, and Gatsby was left only with the education this man had given him about how to live. A picture of Cody hangs on the wall in his mansion. http://www.novelguide.com/thegreatgatsby/characterprofiles.html

The Women of Gatsby

The author of Gatsby Fitzgerald openly shows his opinion that women generally have low moral qualities, and demonstrates this by the actions and speech illustrated by the people in this book: Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson.Each had their own flaws and were branded under the category of a typical woman with low moral virtues. Fitzgerald made sure to bring out childish actions from women as often as possible, and distinctively emphasized them when a male was also a part of a wrongdoing. During the story, men were portrayed as corrupt and fraudulent, but women were always one worse, and he took advantage of every opportunity he could to exploit them.He wanted to show that women were as bad as men.

The story is about love and deception between three girls. In the novel, Daisy loves Gatsby but stays with her husband Tom , because of the security he can offer her.Myrtle Wilson cheated on her husband and didn't treat her well. Jordan Baker is a woman who lies and is also very independent in life and would prefer not to have a man in her life.Women have many reasons for loving and staying with the different men in their lives.Daisy abuses the men in her life in an emotional way needs security more then love with some man.Myrtle mistreats her husband all the time,and loves money, and Jordan lies to men. All three of these girls were motivated by the same thing, money.http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infoCentral/frameset/decade/1920.htm

Jay Gatsby is a young man desperate to win the acceptance of the old money, elitist class, and in particular the love of his former partner, Daisy.Over the years, Gatsby imagines Daisy as the perfect girl that he once knew before the war. When he meets her for the first time in five years he is pale as a ghost and cant move.As the story get unfolded Fitzgerald portrays women in a negative fashion.Fitzgerald uses Daisy, Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson to illustrate the disapproving qualities of carelessness selfishness and dishonesty.He not only depicts women as corrupt, but also as continually dependent on men. Fitzgerald illustration of women as foolish, careless and dishonest regardless of their individual and varying backgrounds.