The
Great Gatsby
War and Military presence
The Great Gatsby
took place in the 1920s directly after the First World War. The magnitude of this
war was so great that it was called the great war. This war was
the first in which all classes were called on to fight. This gave the war a far
more widespread effect on America during and immediately after the war. During
the war, all men between the ages of 18 to 30 were required to register for the
draft. Twenty-four million men registered and three million served. Fifty thousand
Americans died in the First World War. Before Gatsby was drafted, he had a brief
but passionate affair with Daisy. Had the war not taken him from her, it is probable
that they would have been married. Instead Daisy married Tom. Gatsby served in
the war as a first lieutenant. He "tried very hard to die" (70) but instead became
a hero. He was awarded a medal by every Allied government. He was especially proud
of a medal given to him by Montenegro.