LITERARY ANALYSIS OF THE SETTING IN “THE GREAT GATSBY” AND “PAUL’S
CASE”
3
and Long Island. In the same light, time as a setting is extremely significant for the novel as “The
Great Gatsby” is set in the summer of 1922, also known as the era of Roaring ’20s or the Jazz
Age. 1919 saw the end of World War I, along with the massive toll in the number of deaths
accompanied by the horror of trench warfare that stood as an extremely stark contrast to the
images of glorifying war and the bravery of soldiers. The years that followed the war in America
were named the Roaring 20’s as the country saw a sudden increase in the economy, along with
the growing influence of the States as a foreign influence.
The historical timeline of America showed the occurrence of a number of events during
the 20’s such as the prohibition of alcohol, introduction of women’s voting rights, and the
increase in the production and ownership of cars. The choice of season is interestingly summer
as numerous times the novel assigns a new meaning to summertime and hence establishes a
certain amount of contrast with the rest of the seasons of the year- the contrast at times extends to
itself. Again it is noteworthy that summer is considered to be a symbol of life, vigor, and a sense
of rebirth as Nick talks about summer with its traditional connotation –“And so with the sunshine
and the great burst of leaves growing on the trees- just as things grow fast in movies- I had that
familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer (Fitzgerald, 1995).”
Nevertheless, Jordan complains about summer for it being unfavorable to the potential of
positive changes than comes with fall – “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall
(Fitzgerald, 1995).” This difference in the attitude towards summer is of extreme significance as
it portrays one of the most important characteristics of the novel, the hope to move forward but
fighting against the past that only anchors and pulls us back. However, the readers witness
Nick’s gradual decrease in his affinity towards the disappointment of summer days that he

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Great Gatsby And Pauls Case Assignment

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