The Great Gatsby presents a picture of American society in the 1920s. This is a critical decade in which the vision of the American dream changed from dream ideal for a materialistic dream. The vision of the American dream was always about coming from the bottom and working your way to the top. In the past, it was based on discovery, autonomy and happiness. The old American dream before corruption allowed you to gain love, high status, money and power through work. You had to work to become at the top. The American dream was also based on family. However, times have changed, and so have values. The American dream has transformed into materialistic aspects. The goal was to have a huge house, extravagant cars and live easily. It was no longer about work and dedication. Materialistic items determine success now rather than the other way around, showing that corruption has taken place. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the American dream and its corruption through the evolution of a society based on the wealth and social status it has acquired. Fitzgerald notably illustrates the American dream and its corruption through the decadence of moral and social values. values. Once the American Dream transformed into a more materialistic vision, the loss of moral and social values ​​began to occur. Society was lost in wealth, which led to greed. The quest for happiness has transformed into the quest for pleasure. For example, in the novel, Gatsby started throwing wild parties every Saturday. Gatsby began to become ignorant and let the new wealth go to his head. The true purpose of love was tainted and lost because of the new social status he had acquired. Gatsby at one point was also not true to himself, which shows a loss ... middle of paper ... of pleasure and money. This dream that once included individuality, happiness and discovery has transformed into a more materialistic dream. The Great Gatsby has become a symbolic novel about what money and new prosperity can do to a society. It's symbolic for America and how the corruption of the American dream can cause the corruption of the world. Works CitedBloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views: F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985. Bryant Mangum, “The Great Gatsby,” Encyclopedia of the Novel, ed. Paul Schellinger, London and Chicago: Fitzroy-Dearborn, 1998, pp. 514-515. Reprinted with permission from Fitzroy-Dearborn Publishers. Fahey, William. F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1973. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.