Influences on F. Scott Fitzgeralds' writing in The Great Gatsby

Essay by nickdrakeHigh School, 11th grade March 2004

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The Roaring Twenties was a period of frivolous days and exciting nights. Times were prosperous and life was good for most. In The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes about the fictitious life of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire (Gross 1). The setting of the novel is New York in the twenties, a time, and place, where people were jovial and carefree. In New York, more than anywhere, people did not worry about life's downs, but focused on the highlife and partying. Prohibition made partying difficult, but it prevailed nonetheless. In the novel, Fitzgerald's description of humans was of an appalling nature. He shows them as careless, greedy, and inconsiderate; much like they truly were in this decade. Inevitably he would become involved in some type of lackadaisical ways. Fitzgerald's writing's were significantly influenced by these surroundings. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing was profoundly influenced by events in his life, the exciting times he lived in, and the people he knew.

Born on September 24, 1986 to a wealthy merchant family, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald showed signs of an exemplary writing ability (Dyson, 1380). As a small boy, Fitzgerald began writing down his thoughts and ideas. He frequently wrote about his life.

While in school, Fitzgerald was very self-criticizing and did not have many friends. He was not very popular at school, although he greatly wanted to be. Just like Fitzgerald, Gatsby did not like who he was, so he decided to change himself. In the novel, Gatsby has a list of things he wants to change about himself. He called them his 'General Resolves' and they were: No wasting time at Shafters, no more smoking or chewing, bath every other day, read one improving book or magazine per week, save $3.00 per week,