F. Scott Fitzgerald/ Great Gatsby

The 1920's, sometimes referred to as the "Jazz Age" or the "Roaring Twenties," was known as a time of social change in rural America. In many aspects of life, women and men were changing their past accepted lifestyles and quickly adopting lavish lifestyles. Emerged during the twentieth century, one of the most notable writers of his time, F. Scott Fitzgerald, developed one of the greatest novels written, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald used his novels to reveal his feelings and opinions on times in the US. He was known as a writer from the "Lost Generation" because his negative beliefs were known to be different from the rest of Americans beliefs. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald offers a critical idolization of wealthy Americans but shows the portrayal of these Americans unrestrained materialism and lack of morality.

In Fitzgerald's novel, he writes about the relationships that go on and with these relationships lack of loyalty, self indulgence, violence, and disregard to morals are brought with them. The relationships of the main characters Daisy and Tom Buchanan is one of infidelity and lies. This loveless relationship consists of Tom cheating on Daisy with many women, one whose name is Myrtle, and Daisy cheating on Tom with Jay Gatsby. Tom is an aggressive man who, one day, shows his violence toward Myrtle when she taunts Tom with Daisy's name. Even though, Daisy is aware of Tom's affairs, Daisy gives him a gold pen to show off to the girls at parties. Jay Gatsby is another main character, who is determined to win the love back from Daisy. In doing so, Gatsby makes friends with his new neighbor Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, in order to get closer to Daisy. Nick Carraway is a cousin of Daisy's; which Gatsby is seen as a personal way to forward his pursue for Daisy. Though, Nick realizes his relationship with him is purely a way to benefit Gatsby, he remains friends with him. While Nick takes a back seat to the more complicated relationships he does get acquainted with a pompous woman, Jordan Baker, also known as "the balancing girl." She and Nick become close but later, Nick finds out that Jordan has left him to get engaged with a wealthier man. Fitzgerald gives each relationship its own flaws and wrong doings in order to depict the changing of the American life.

This novel highlights the negative values, whether its dishonesty, immorality, illegal or unethical activities, within each character. Tom for instance has numerous affairs. Jordan cheated in a golf tournament. Gatsby was involved in illegal matters, such as gambling and over-the-counter selling of alcohol. Gatsby also got caught up in a fight he and Tom had over Daisy and Gatsby told Tom that Daisy never loved him. A major unethical value that Daisy possessed was when everyone was going back to Long Island, after the disputation between Tom and Gatsby, and when Daisy saw Myrtle in the road, swerved in the other lane, then swerved back to hit Myrtle. Daisy did not even stop the car to check what she had done, she continued on to leave Myrtle dead in the road. Trying to cope with Myrtle's death, her husband, Wilson tracked down the owner of the car. He found Gatsby at home and that's when he shot Gatsby dead and then took his own life. Another unethical value