F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" masterfully portrays the dark underbelly of the American Dream during the Roaring Twenties, where class division in East and West Egg shapes the narrative's core themes.
- The novel's settings, from the opulent mansions to the desolate Valley of Ashes, symbolize the stark social and economic disparities of 1920s America
- Gatsby's American dream symbolism in 1920s is reflected through his lavish mansion and pursuit of Daisy, representing the corruption of idealism by materialism
- The East and West Egg dichotomy illustrates the tension between old money sophistication and new money ostentation
- The impact of materialism and corruption in Gatsby manifests through various locations, from Gatsby's parties to Meyer Wolfsheim's criminal enterprises
- The post-war context and prohibition era provide crucial historical backdrop for understanding the characters' motivations and actions
