RAGER AT GATSBY'S

     In The Great Gatsby, customs and values in the 1920s were different than nowadays. Whenever Gatsby threw those lavish parties, women would get dressed up in their finest pearls and expensive dresses, and men would put on their perfectly tailored suits and designer pocket handkerchiefs just to attend a house party. When you think about it, house parties now are usually more "chill" or laid back. In the 21st century, house parties are usually associated with teenagers and college kids, or youth in general, but there are those occasional times where they are thrown by adults. These "adult" parties are usually more posh or classy (like a housewarming party); they're not really like the parties depicted in The Great Gatsby. For instance, when Gatsby has his shindigs, women are wearing pearls and expensive attire, however, they are drinking heavily, smoking so much, and having casual sex that it seems as though his events incorporated elements of adult life with the carefree attitude of adolescent teens, which really adds to the way society was in the 20s.
    I think readers during the time that The Great Gatsby was released would not think much about the alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking and partying and sex because back in that time period, drinking and being open and free and having loose morals were the way things worked for a lot of the adults. Many people cared less about rules and less about risks, and more on just living and having fun. However, nowadays people read the Great Gatsby and imagine the "ragers" that must have been taking place and are surprised at how virtually no one gave a damn about pure morals and - what was then - illegal activity. It makes sense that people would be so free and wild back then because in the 20s, after World War I, the economy was booming and people were making so much money and living such a stress-free life that they didn't have as many problems to worry about. People now would also think that it was weird how men and women dressed so nicely only to take part in the types of parties Gatsby threw because the dynamics and aesthetics of house parties are so different now. You would not catch someone with a designer dress and real diamonds at a regular house party in this day in age. I think that combination of adult and adolescent lifestyles definitely sets a pretty clear view on how people lived in the 20s.


1920s Gatsby House Party                                                                              

                            21st Century house party