In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald repeatedly criticizes the American society, during a period where all Americans believed that material wealth would derive happiness and fame. Fitzgerald is showing that in the Jazz Age, people in America were delusional and had meaningless existences. These criticisms and objections of this notion are expressed through the portrayal of several unique characters. These pivotal characters are Midwesterners who have sprawled East in pursuit of this notion of deriving fame, …showed first 75 words of 965 total…

…showed last 75 words of 965 total…are suggesting that the material dream encouraged greed and selfishness, leading to corruption. The American Dream is seen as contagious and addictive. The ambition of human beings in society and this notion of competition is clearly expressed and portrayed through these pivotal characters in both texts. The texts clearly expose the corrupt extents to which people will go to in pursuit of personal gain, and they reflect the attitudes of people during the Jazz Age.