The Great Gatsby: Context: World War I

Historical Overview:

World War I, also known as the Great War, took place from 1914 to 1918 and involved many nations of the world, primarily allied powers against central powers.
It was marked by new military technologies that resulted in unprecedented loss of life and destruction. The harsh realities of war ended the Belle Époque perception of the world before 1914 as peaceful and secure.

World War I in The Great Gatsby:

Jay Gatsby served as a lieutenant in WWI. His participation and experiences in the war serve as crucial turning points in his life.
The war separates Gatsby and Daisy, leading to Daisy marrying Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby’s primary motivation is to return to the idealized pre-war life with Daisy, which reflects the broader societal longing for pre-war normalcy.
WWI disrupts the socio-economic landscape of America, establishing the stage for the era of prosperity in the 1920s depicted in the novel.

Cultural Repercussions:

The war caused a major shift in moral values, leading to a more hedonistic lifestyle, a theme which pervades the novel and influences the behaviour of characters.
It fueled a so-called “Lost Generation” – a term coined by Gertrude Stein and popularised by Ernest Hemingway – to describe the disillusioned individuals who came of age during the war. This disillusionment is evident in the extravagant yet hollow lives of Gatsby’s party-goers.
The end of the war brought about the Roaring Twenties, where reckless optimism and material excess led to the economic boom and notorious parties of the Jazz Age, which forms a central backdrop in The Great Gatsby.

Role in Character Development:

For Gatsby, the war is a transformative experience that sharpens his ambition and provides an opportunity to escape his past. His military service tidily fits into his self-invented persona of Jay Gatsby.
Nick Carraway - likable yet somewhat detached - is also a WWI veteran and his experiences at war cast a shadow over his views of the society presented in The Great Gatsby.

Narrative Influence:

The horrors of WWI underscore the novel’s exploration of illusion versus reality. This is reflected in the characters’ futile attempts to recapture an irretrievable past or maintain unsustainable lifestyles.
The war serves as a potent metaphor for the moral decay hidden beneath the glitz and glamour of the Roaring Twenties. It underlines the hollowness of the American Dream pursued by Gatsby.