Waldo Frank and F. Scott Fitzgerald

Waldo Frank and F. Scott Fitzgerald

Influential writer Waldo Frank had a set of general views of the American culture during the 1920's. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a book called The Great Gatsby which describes Fitzgerald's view of American culture during the 1920's. Both of these writers' views on American culture appear to be very consistent with one another. Both of them view the 1920's as an age where people are very concerned by success and Power. In fact, Waldo Frank wrote, "To Americans, success is an exercise of power visible to the world. If someone else can't see it, it is not success." In the book The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald's main characters are very concerned with wealth. Jay Gatsby and Tom are very wealthy men who just happen to be rivals in this novel. All of Gatsby's neighbors (party attendees) are not very concerned with his actual character, but rather the size of his house and the greatness of his parties. This notion becomes crystal clear in the end of his novel when Gatsby dies and no one shows for his funeral (except Nick). Both Frank and Fitzgerald view the 1920's as a time period concerned with sex. Sex to these men does not mean love like it once was thought. It is also a time of selfish endeavor. This is apparent when Fitzgerald uses his character, Tom, to represent a selfish man who only cares about himself... and sex. He cheats on his beautiful wife, Daisy, with another woman named Myrtle, but becomes enraged when he finds out the fact that his wife, Daisy, is seeing another man, Gatsby. By the characters' actions and concerns in the novel The Great Gatsby it becomes apparent that Fitzgerald's views on American culture in the 1920's are consistent with the views of Waldo Frank.