People tend to reflect their life experiences through the actions they take every day. This is commonly seen in artists, musicians and authors, who use their work as a way to express themselves. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, uses the novel to reflect himself and his past experiences through many of the main characters. Nick Carraway is written by Fitzgerald as a way to show his more innocent and gentle side. While Gatsby and the Buchanans are used to showing the corruption and flaws within themselves. The Great Gatsby was written to express FItzgerald's point of view on the 1920s; not only did it provide social commentary on the corruption of the American dream, but it also presented an insight into Fitzgerald's life. Although Fitzgerald's period was a profoundly influential time, it is undisputed that one of the most sensational events of the era was The Great. War. The Great War known as the first man-made catastrophe of the 20th century lasted from 1914-18 (PBS 1). The Great War, also known as World War I, had its unofficial beginning on 28 June 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist. Set primarily in Europe, The Great War introduced the world to devastating weapons and tactics, such as the use of chemical gases and heavy artillery. The Great War is classified as a total war because all civilians, as well as soldiers, were considered targets of the enemy. By 1917, the Great War had quickly turned into a stalemate, resulting in the advance or retreat of the lesser sides. This was contrary to the beliefs of both sides, who believed that the war would be over by Christmas 1914. By the war's conclusion, 9 million people had died on the battlefield... middle of paper... ... our. The Buchanans are created by Fitzgerald to reflect the Fitzgeralds' real-life problems. This is because people tend to reflect their experiences in their actions. Works Cited Bruccoli, Matthew J. A Brief Life of Fitzgerald. University of South Carolina, 1994. Web. March 17, 2014. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print."F. Scott Fitzgerald." Famous authors. Famous Authors, 2012. Web. March 17, 2014. "Additional Papers of F. Scott Fitzgerald." . Princeton University and Web. March 19, 2014."The Great War and the developments of the 20th century." PBS. PBS and Web. March 19, 2014."The Roaring Twenties." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. March 18, 2014. Willett, Erika. "F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream." PBS. PBS and Web. March 17. 2014.