Both vital characters, Daisy Buchanan and Lena Grove, symbolize the central focus of their novels, even though they could be labeled as minor and flat characters. Although the 1920s and 1930s are two distinct time periods, the significance of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby and Lena Grove in Light in August is portrayed through the settings of their stories, their parallel personalities, and their success for regarding the impact of their behaviors. Their actions and presence are the eye of the storm as every event revolves around them. Despite the difference in setting between Fitzgerald's 1920s and Faulkner's 1930s, Daisy and Lena embody their decades. First, the “Roaring Twenties” were an era of modernization and represented the “…finest values ​​of Western culture, the American Dream” (9), however Gatsby, in particular, demonstrates how the “American Dream” has , in fact, lost the respectable symbol of wealth. Daisy Buchanan is important to Gatsby's central concept of wealth and ambition to acquire it as she demonstrates the idea of ​​respectable, established wealth with her luxurious mansion and her extravagant husband, Tom Buchanan. Overall, "All that remains in Fitzgerald's novel is the crude pursuit of wealth and the superficial allure that wealth provides." (10 gross). Evidence of the importance Daisy plays in establishing the concept of influence gained through privilege is found within the myriad of eccentric parties populated by gold chains and flappers on every corner. Daisy is the embodiment of luxury and is at the heart of the theme of those who have respecting those who have not, paying the ultimate price, complacency and boredom as the signature of prestige. On the other hand, Lena Grove comes from a small.... .. middle of paper...... Gross. Understanding the Great Gatsby: A student casebook on historical issues, sources, and documents. Westport, CT:Greenwood, 1998. 9-10, 109. Print.Kartiganer, Donald M. The Fragile Thread: The Meaning of Form in Faulkner's Novels. Amherst: U of Massachusetts, 1979. 59. Print.Kirk, Robert Warner., and Marvin Klotz. Faulkner's People: A Complete Guide and Index to the Characters of William Faulkner's Fiction. Berkeley: U of California, 1963. 72. Print.Vogel Dan. “The Mask of Oedipus Tyranos,” in his Three Masks of American Tragedy. Contemporary literary criticism. vol. Eds. Carolyn Riley and Phyllis Mendelson.Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1976. 178-79.---. “The Mask of Satan”, in his Three Masks of American Tragedy. Contemporary literary criticism. vol. Eds. Carolyn Riley and Phyllis Mendelson. Detroit: GaleResearch Company, 1976. 179. Keyword: Satan.