Quantity over quality The Great Gatsby is a short novel written by Scott Fitzgerald. It is set in the 1920s and, like Fitzgerald, the novel is strongly identified with the Jazz Age. The Jazz Age was a time of self-indulgence sandwiched between World War I and the Great Depression. The theme throughout the novel is recognized as the prestigious “American Dream” which holds a strong and honored place in American history. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's parties, the Valley of Ashes, and love to show that the ideals of the American dream are deteriorating. In West Egg, Gatsby threw huge, extravagant parties hoping one day for the love of his children. life, Daisy of East Egg, would come walking through the door. Fitzgerald satirizes these parties in order to create a broader picture of the “roaring twenties” (Slater 54). The big parties were a place teeming with contradictions on display. These large parties were made up of people who were never officially invited and stayed until they were kicked out. The people who showed up were all examples of moral corruption and cared about nothing other than the matter of property. People came, destroyed Gatsby's house, and then left. The guests treated each other as if they were disposable, just like the money they spent so vigorously. This is the exact opposite of what the American Dream should be, people were just celebrating their lives. Fitzgerald deliberately contributed to Gatsby's divine image by excluding him from the novel, which surrounds him with a mythical aura. Rumors would spread about Gatsby because no one actually saw him." "I'll tell you a family secret... he was the silver polisher... in New York who had a yes... middle of the paper.... ..for others to achieve their personal goals. Works Cited Baker, Robert J. “Maecenas and Horace 'Satire II.8.'” The Classical Journal 83.3 (1988): 212-232. Web. February 17 May 2014. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby New York: Scribner, 1925. Fraser, John. The John Hopkins University Press 32.4 (1965): 554-564 Web, December 17, 2014. McAdams, Tony. Journal of Business Ethics 12.8 (1993): 653-660 Web, May 20, 2014.Pearson, Roger L. “Gatsby: The False Prophet of the American Dream.” The English Journal 59.5 (1970): 638-645. Web. May 17, 2014. Slater, Gregg P. "Ethnicity in the Great Gatsby" Twentieth Century Literature 19.1 (1973): 53-62 May 2014. "Trimalchio." Princeton University Web. May 20 2014.