The Great Gatsby is a look into moral decadence in modem American society. The corruption of values and the decline of spiritual life in the novel is a condition that is ultimately related to the American Dream. As Fitzgerald saw it (and as Nick explains in Chapter IX), the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. In the 1920s, easy money and relaxed social values corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast. The book investigates how Americans lost their spiritual purpose as material success wiped out spiritual goals. The lives of the Buchanans, filled with material comforts and luxuries, and empty of purpose, represents this condition. The American dream was very misleading as it was supposed to offer settlers a fresh start where they could escape religious/political intolerance. …
