Many things can influence change in a country, especially the United States. The 1920s was a period in which many events changed society forever. The uproar over Prohibition and economic growth also had a great influence on literature, particularly the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The most notable of his works was The Great Gatsby, written in 1925. The novel draws great influence from what was happening at that time. With Prohibition being a popular topic in the 1920s, there was a lot of clandestine and illegal distribution. With alcohol banned, demand was very high and the 1920s saw a further increase in alcoholism and partying. All of this also helped change the American dream. Many of these changes weren't really realized until F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, which in turn showed society, from a fictional perspective, what America was like. becoming. The novel changed the country, but not only did it focus on the issues going on at the time, but it was also influenced by Fitzgerald's life. Influenced by his life in the 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby reflects the evolution of the American dream and societal values. Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 into an Irish Catholic family. By age 13, he was already writing and seeing some of his work appear in print. Fitzgerald loved writing and ended up attending Princeton, but his dedication to literature led him to be on academic probation. Joining the army after Princeton, fearing he would die in World War I, he left the army to pursue his dream of writing. He quickly wrote a novel and sent it to a publisher. Seeing the originality and good plot, Fitzgerald was encouraged by the publisher to use...... middle of paper ... alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine or beer. Comparing these statistics from 1939 to another research conducted in 2008, there was a 9 percent increase, leaving the percentage of Americans who drink alcoholic beverages at 67 percent. Likewise, the aftermath of Prohibition in the 1920s, which banned the consumption and sale of alcohol, also led to a dramatic increase in statistics. Although it was illegal, statistics show that even during Prohibition, alcohol consumption was at an all-time high. Much like Prohibition in the 1920s, the United States faces a similar problem with the growing use of marijuana. Also illegal, the use of marijuana has seen a sharp increase over the past decade. Research in 2013 found that 48 percent of half the adult population uses marijuana, an increase from 2001, when only 38 percent had used marijuana...