In the aftermath of World War I, the 1920s glimmered on the horizon with the promise of hope. Bookended by the epidemic of 1920 and the Wall Street crash of 1929, the decade was a time of decadence, frivolity and escape. Rich or poor, people lived in the moment, loved everything new, and young people partied like there was no tomorrow. A readers' glimpse into the decade can be found in the greatest memoir of the era: The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald. F. Scott Fitzgerald applied the social and political issues of the 1920s and its countless characteristics to improve the plot of The Great Gatsby. The 1920s were also known as the "Jazz Age". Aptly named for the appearance of jazz music. The word “jazz” has taken the country by storm. Clothing stores advertised “jazz styles,” poets wrote “jazz poetry.” In the early 1920s, classical jazz was at its peak, with a lone pianist or band containing banjos, horns, clarinets and drums accompanying the female singer. This was music that suited the mood of blacks recently arriving in the cities, who had left the individual guitarists or string bands of the South. And by the mid-1920s, jazz was being played in dance halls, roadhouses, and speakeasies across the country. Jazz, which had been the product of wandering black musicians, the poorest in the South, had become big business, and dance had overwhelmed a country that seemed convinced that wealth and well-being would never end. so that competitions called "dance marathons" were held. The purpose of these competitions was to see which couple could dance the longest. Dancers competed for cash prizes of up to several thousand dollars. These grueling races lasted for days. The dancers kicked, punched and... middle of paper... political issues of the 1920s and its countless features to enhance the plot of The Great Gatsby. Jazz became extremely popular in the 1920s. The couples simply couldn't stop dancing. Flappers challenged norms of dress and behavior and their only goal was to please themselves. The women who attended Gatsby's parties were flappers, including Gatsby's love, Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker. Prohibition was in full swing in the 1920s and Al Capone pioneered the illegal liquor trade. The fictional character Jay Gatsby was deeply involved. Readers can take a look at the era's greatest memoir, The Great Gatsby, and other of Fitzgerald's writings and discover that the 1920s were a time of decadence, frivolity, and escape. It doesn't matter whether rich or poor, people live in the moment, love their lives, and young people (and sometimes old people) party like there's no tomorrow.