What is the social significance of The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsbyaddresses life in a very particular time and place.  The United States of America was a very different place in the 1920s, post-World War I, than it was prior to the war.  After the war, there was a sense of innocence having been lost.  The world seemed like a much bigger place than it was before. Even Nick returns feeling "restless" and no longer convinced that the Midwest was the "warm center"...

The Great Gatsby addresses life in a very particular time and place.  The United States of America was a very different place in the 1920s, post-World War I, than it was prior to the war.  After the war, there was a sense of innocence having been lost.  The world seemed like a much bigger place than it was before. Even Nick returns feeling "restless" and no longer convinced that the Midwest was the "warm center" of everything.  So, he goes east in search of employment and distraction.  The novel captures the sense of restlessness and disillusionment felt by so many Americans in the post-war era.

Further, with the advent of Prohibition, which made the distribution of alcohol illegal, the country's leaders hoped to curb crime.  Instead, crime actually increased during this period, as did the number of establishments where a person could purchase alcoholic beverages, and drinking in general.  Bootleggers like Gatsby could make a quick fortune by exploiting the public's desire for this forbidden fruit.  The novel captures the social significance of Prohibition as well.