The 1920s

From the beginning it all seemed too good to be true. And it was. The twenties began full of hope and promise but sadly ended horribly. Million Dollar Baby: Stories from the Corner by F.X. Toole has a very similar turn of events. It starts out full of optimism about her boxing career but it hits a turning point. Once she is hospitalized she can never go back, and can only relive the past through her memories. "Not after what I've done. I've seen the world. People shouted my name". Unlike in Gatsby, Maggie knows she can't go back to the past. She has to live with her actions. Just like the twenties, her life ended tragically and all too soon. "Sometimes there’s just nothing we can do. Cut’s too wide, too close to the bone. Maybe you got a severed vein, or you just can’t get the coagulant deep enough." Every once in a while there will be an injury you can't fix, or an economy that tanks. As Lao Tzu once said, "the flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long".