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Analysis Of F. Scott Fitzgerald

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How would you feel if the harder you worked to accomplish your most far-fetched goals and to advance in society, the harder you would fall and the worse you would suffer at the end of your life? Many people of that era would have been confused or even surprised by the question when, in reality, that pattern was repeated over and over again during the 1920s. After the first World War concluded in 1919, new inventions and reformations were being made, which gave society newfound optimism. However, due to bad investments made by stockholders, the stock market crashed in 1929, sending America spiraling into a crippling depression for the next decade (“A Changing Society” 96). F. Scott Fitzgerald was the most notable author of the decade, and he was largely self-created. He spent the majority of his life devoted to writing, whether as a pastime, an occupation, or a way to prove his worthiness to the love of his life. His life was ultimately molded by the success-seeking template of the 1920s. The most famous of his works was The Great Gatsby, which brought more success, fame, and riches than he had ever encountered. Toward the end of his hedonistic life, however, Fitzgerald suffered from long spells of depression, smoked frequently, drank even more so, and wrote less and less successfully (Doreski 114). He was a true “embodiment of the age” and a prime example of the decade’s formula for success leading to failure (“The 1920s: How Normal were the 1920s?” 175). Fitzgerald’s life

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