F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote The Great Gatsby, was an author known for questioning the social "norms" of his time. His book The Great Gatsby was no different as it addressed the idea of ​​class and wealth that was present in his time. The narrator befriends Gatsby who represents new wealth. As they become closer, Gatsby takes him to meet Wolfsheim, who helped Gatsby acquire his wealth. Nick, the narrator, described it this way: The idea stunned me. I remembered, of course, that the World's Series had been set in 1919, but if I had thought about it, I would have viewed it as a thing that simply happened, the end of an inevitable chain. It never occurred to me that one man could begin to play with the faith of fifty million people – with the determination of a burglar breaking a safe. (4.113). Fitzgerald talks about the positive outlook Americans had or have toward money and wealth. Fitzgerald says the power we give him by glorifying him can cause negative things such as the ability to play with the faith of many. In the short stories "Story of an Hour" and "Orientation", the situations the main characters are placed in and the way they react to the situation prove that American culture emphasizes superficial appearances rather than on the truth. Although these stories are different, they both involve characters who undergo the demands of American culture to conform to certain societal demands. .. Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" condemns American culture for emphasizing and even expecting marriage. “The Story of an Hour” turns this stereotypical idea of ​​marriage on its head; instead of hearing the good, we hear the... middle of paper ...... in "Story of an Hour", the societal convention is marriage. In “Orientation,” the societal convention that doing a job is more important than being a good person. Orozco also describes the lives of many different people. The characters of Mrs. Mallard and the main character of Orientation are similar because they both warn us in their own way about the flaws in American society. The issues these stories talk about are still relevant today. America seems to only look at superficial things like work and marriage and look away when looking at character flaws. Works Cited Chopin, Kate and Kate Chopin. The story of an hour. Logan, IA: Perfection Learning, 2001. Print. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print. Orozco, Daniel. Orientation. San Francisco: San Francisco Chronicle, 2011. Print.