The Great Gatsby: Reflection of an Era During the 1920s America was a country of great ambition, desperation, and disappointment. The novel The Great Gatsby is a mirror of this decade, it illustrates the burning passion that a man has towards his "American dream" and the different aspects of the dream. Fitzgerald's work is a reflection of America during his lifetime. The Great Gatsby shows a man's ambition to achieve his "American Dream", the disappointment of losing this dream, and the desperation of its loss. In the 1920s the spirit and ambition of the American people soared. Unlike their European counterparts who were trapped in the social class they were born into, the American people knew that if they worked hard they could achieve a higher social class. Flappers and the women's liberation movement were just two examples of how Americans expressed their newly discovered social freedom. It seemed that nothing was impossible to achieve. James Gatz, shared the spirit and ambition of the American people and fought long and hard to earn his place in the world. He had dreamed of transforming himself from the poor young man he was into the wealthy celebrity he would soon become. Gatsby, as a child, had a daily schedule that he followed. He knew from childhood that he would have to work for his fame. "Jimmy was destined to go on. He always had resolutions like this or something" (175). Gatsby's ambition did not only lie in his future, but when he grew up it would be found in his love. He had an obsession with Daisy Buchanan and did everything in his power to put things back to how they were when they first met. He thought he could relive the past. He threw lavish parties to get her attention. He did everything in his power to be there for her. “‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be right across the bay.'” (79) He earned his wealth so that they could finally be together. Like Gatsby, the American people of the 1920s followed their hearts and ambition. During World War I, American men fought to save their country and women fought to win the right to vote. In fashion, women were also liberated, as the hem of a medium skirt was raised.