Final answer:
Fitzgerald describes his life in the 1920s as a time of personal disenchantment, marked by 'childish waking dreams' in place of actual heroism, reflecting the 1920s' broader themes of excess and disillusionment.
Step-by-step explanation:
F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his personal essay 'The Crack-Up', reflects on his life during the 1920s as a period of personal disillusionment despite his successful literary career. He talks about a life filled with childish waking dreams of imaginary heroism and how the significant problems of living seemed too tiresome to confront due to the exhausting nature of resolving everyday issues. Fitzgerald's view mirrors the larger reality of the 1920s — a decade marked by the pursuit of pleasure post-World War I, yet underpinned by a sense of disillusionment and loss of faith in traditional values. This cultural milieu is captured in his works, notably The Great Gatsby, where the excesses and moral ambiguity of the time are vividly portrayed through the life of the titular character, Jay Gatsby.