Written during and about the 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is both a representation of this distinctive social and historical context and a construction of the experience of the composer of this context. era. Current beliefs and practices also play a crucial role in the formation of the text, notably by modifying the way in which literary techniques are interpreted. The current responder is powerfully influenced by his personal experiences, some of which essentially reinforce Fitzgerald's themes, while others compete, establishing contemporary interpretations of the novel. Nicknamed the "Roaring Twenties", due to the massive boom in the American economy, this social and historical context is widely known for its impressive parties and sensationalist attitude. However, Fitzgerald also conveys a more sinister side of this culture through numerous affairs, poverty and the rampage of organized crime. By exposing this moral fall, Fitzgerald reveals to the responder his value of the American dream and his conviction of its decline. As a writer, Fitzgerald was always very concerned with the present time. Therefore, his writing style and plot reflect his own experiences of that time. The lives of Fitzgerald's characters were so similar to his own that he once commented: "Sometimes I don't know if Zelda (his wife) and I are real or if we are characters from one of my novels." . In 1924, Fitzgerald was affected by Zelda's brief affair with a young French pilot, causing him to lock her up in their house. A construction of this experience can be seen in the way Fitzgerald describes the setting of the 1290s. For example, in 'The Great Gatsby' there are numerous affairs and at one point Mr Wilson locks his wife away for. ..... middle of paper ...... under an intense image of the pretension he thought the upper class in the 1920s. In literature, the rose is usually a symbol of beauty and love, but Fitzgerald points out that in reality the 1920s were not quite the wonderful times they were portrayed to be. While the issue of materialism is still relevant in the modern context, the force behind it is quite different. Materialism is less the result of society's pursuit of love and happiness in an unethical culture, but rather the high wages and relatively cheap products that mean modern upper-class society obliges the world of consumerism simply because it can. and his style, Fitzgerald has created a realistic construction of his 1920s experience, which is also strongly shaped by today's speakers' own beliefs and practices..