Mentality In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is originally about the discovery of success, but by the 1920´s, this dream took a different path; a path where people fought for the desire of wealth by any means in a battle between what was considered legal vs. moral. This mentality was product of capitalism, which introduces the mentality that money would bring happiness and success. This is why F. Scott Fitzgerald creates each setting of The Great Gatsby with a purpose, whether it was to illustrate how the roaring twenties changed the American society, or to symbolize how each setting represent the mentality of each character from the novel. The Great Gatsby tells the story of Jay Gatsby and his life into the world of the social elite as he works to gain Daisy's love. Fitzgerald focuses on how money and wealth can create a change in people, and throughout the novel, the setting represents part of this message, each location representing a different social class and a different perspective of life among the ones living in it. Whether it is the West Egg or the Valley of Ashes, each area has its own

As Nick says, “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (59), showing the virtue of knowing what goals he can or cannot reach being realistic about the social environment and the place in which he lives. After all, West Egg is also a land of dreamers, and what better example such as Gatsby himself who is in search of gaining Daisy´s love. The West Eggers are the "new money" of the American society, and in contrast to the people in the Valley of Ashes, these people have found themselves with outrageous amounts of money, and as a result spend it in an outrageous manner, representing the hope gained and that sense of invincibility after the era from the World War