The Great Gatsby

Jay Gatsby and the American Dream F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a glimpse into the elite social circles of Long Island society during the prosperous period of the 1920’s. In this decade a class of new rich was born, and the class of old rich enjoyed continued prosperity. Gatsby showcases the conflict between the two groups, as the newly rich tried to carve a place for themselves in the exclusive social circles of those who inherited their wealth. The book concerns itself with Jay Gatsby’s attempt to transcend social boundaries and enter this exclusive circle, to live the American dream of betterment. Fitzgerald shows that this dream has been made corrupt and unattainable by the hunger for power and insecurities of the often immoral old rich. Despite living in such a prosperous time, it is impossible for Gatsby, originally a poor man from North Dakota, to be accepted in privileged society. In the first chapter of the novel the reader is introduced to the narrator...