The two texts The Great Gatsby and American Beauty although are presented in different forms and contexts; convey the same message. The Great Gatsby illustrates the moral decay of the post war American society; the corruption of values and decline of spiritual life due the failure of the American Dream. While in American Beauty the film portrays the contemporary version of the American Dream; and rejects the idea that materialistic pursuits will bring happiness. Both texts are social satires that raise the issue of the failure of the American Dream through humour; and ridicule the social b…