Fitzgeralds Satirical Portrait of Modern Society :: essays research papers fc

Fitzgerald’s Satirical Portrait of Modern Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Great Gatsby,† a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, depicts life in the 1920’s. â€Å"The Roaring Twenties,† a nickname given to the decade laden with flippancy, is a time where the rich people in society have little to do, and a lot of money to spend in many ways. Jay Gatsby, one of the â€Å"newly† rich people, chooses to spend his money throwing wild parties every weekend in the summer. Fitzgerald paints a picture of modern society by writing about the lavish parties thrown by Gatsby and the behavior of the guests who attend them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Nick Carraway describes the scene at Gatsby’s mansion while preparing for a party, â€Å"At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down....On the buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’ oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs...In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail....By seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived† (44), he tells of the luxuries provided by Gatsby in order to impress his guests. Fitzgerald is mocking the way people in society try, at great extents, to impress each other. Gatsby’s careless spending of his money parallels the decadent spending of people in modern society. One of the â€Å"twins† tells Nick about how Gatsby bought her an expensive gown, â€Å"When I was here last I tore my gown on a chair, and he asked me for my name and address- inside a week I got a package from Croirier’s with a new evening gown in it,† (47). This shows that Gatsby spends his money in an exorbitant manner, much like the way modern society spends money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people at Gatsby’s parties often stay for days and are uninvited. Most of the guests don’t know Gatsby, let alone care about him. The loss of manners and self-centeredness of modern society are exemplified by the way the guests treat Gatsby, and how they gossip about their host. They impose upon his hospitality and outstay their welcome, â€Å"A man named Klipspringer was there so often and so long that he became known as the boarder- I doubt if he had any other home,† (67). When Gatsby is not around, the guests often fabricate stories about his life. â€Å"He’s a bootlegger. One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil,† (65). Rumors of his personal life circulate his parties and grow as his guests embellish on them.