The 1920s were a time of excess and growth. Economically, it was a time of great financial gains. Largely due to technological advances, productivity has increased while overall production costs have decreased and the economy has grown. This era was not only filled with prosperity, but also corruption. People who previously worked day and night finally gained free time. Some of the richest people have chosen to fill this free time with gluttony and lust. Many authors believed at the time that excessive spending and consumption would surely lead to ruin. Although many people associate good times and carefreeness with the reverie of the 1920s, some also suggest a hidden, much darker side. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald expressed his belief that wealth and materialism corrupt the American dream. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows his disapproval of the times by depicting characters trying to achieve their American dream by any means. means possible. Myrtle Wilson, a lower-class resident of the Valley of Ashes, puts her morals aside as she pursues a life of wealth. Even marriage doesn't stop Myrtle from having an affair with Tom Buchanan, a rich man who allows her to finally buy the life she thinks she deserves. Not only does Myrtle cheat on her own husband, but she has an affair with someone who caught her attention with "a suit and patent leather shoes and [she] couldn't take her eyes off him" (Fitzgerald 40). It was not love for Tom that attracted Myrtle, but his money and power that she coveted. Jay Gatsby, a man truly in love with Daisy Buchanan and not just the money she represents, aspires to realize his dream of wealth in ...... middle of paper ...... ent in Tom and Daisy mean that wealth cannot buy a person everything, including happiness. Fitzgerald questions the validity of the tax-leaning American dream in The Great Gatsby. During the 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald expressed his contempt for the corruption within the American Dream by describing society's immoral actions in his literature with a disapproving tone. Even though the country was economically prosperous, people increasingly lost much-needed morale on their journey to the American dream. Affairs and other sins were carried out with little guilt. People allowed themselves to be drawn into the corruption around them in an attempt to grab their share of the growing wealth. Without making some changes, society could have been on the path to self-devastation. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1st ed. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.