Maya Efrat

Period 2, AP English
February 4, 2017

Great Gatsby, A Novel of Literary Merit

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has been known as a novel of

literary merit, and the zeitgeist of the 1920s. The Jazz Age of the 1920s was a period of

progress, change, materialism, and corruption which is all very symbolic in the novel.

Fitzgerald captures the spirit and culture of this era though the thoughts and actions of

the characters and the detailed events that take place throughout the story.

This zeitgeist shows off many traits that defined the decade of the 1920s such as

materialism and selfishness. These traits are very obviously shown in the characters

behaviors and ways of thinking. For example these traits are specifically portrayed in

the character Gatsby and his ideas of being able to achieve whatever he wanted

through money and material objects. Another character that mirrors the characteristics

of the 1920s society is Tom. He is very selfish and does whatever he feels like to get

what he needs, he only cares about himself and disregards the rest of society. In

addition to the characters and their behaviors, this book also defines the decade

through the lavish parties where everyone flaunts their wealth and engages in activities

that aren't accepted by society. These things demonstrate the idea of the life that many

people in the 1920s lived by showing off their wealth and living in a corrupt and

materialistic way and proves that The Great Gatsby is really a zeitgeist of the era.

In addition to this book being considered the zeitgeist of the era, it is considered

a novel of literary merit. According to the definition of a novel of literary merit, The Great
Gatsby meets and goes above and beyond what literary merit is thought to be. It is a

very entertaining novel and is interesting to read and has been bought and read by a

huge amount of people and has received outstanding reviews. It has stood the test of

time and still remains relevant even after almost one hundred years after its publication

in 1925. The themes that this story discusses such as power, greed, corruption, and the

American Dream give the story thematic depth and are very complex and nuanced. This

book has had a very strong impact both socially, politically, and ideologically on the

society at the time and is still impacting society today because of its themes and issues

it discusses. It fits all of the requirements for a novel of literary merit and will continue

that way for a very long time.

In conclusion, The Great Gatsby is the zeitgeist of the era and shows off

everything that the 1920s Jazz Age era brought to society. It is a book that has been

around for almost a century and has been proved a novel of great literary merit for really

capturing the essence of an era.