Life during 1920s in the United States is known as the "roaring twentieth". It's the time that America welcomed its first period of time that people spend more time on leisure activities. Especially for top class, people started to enjoy lives. It's also known as the Jazz Age.

1920s is the period of time that is most unique and distinctive to the American history. According to the article written by April Sanders, the United States welcomed the best period of time for its economy after the World War I. People started gaining more and more money for income, and youth started going out for fun. This is the beginning of Americans' luxury life, and this is the base for the American Dream.

In the novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the parties held by Jay Gatsby and what Nick has experienced are showings for the luxury life in the real society during 1920s. The original purpose of Fitzgerald writing the book is to show people how does the life for upper class during 1920s look like.

However, at the same time economy for the United States is developing, the moral sense of the society is decaying. The wealth of rich people leads to the decay of their moral sense. The position of money goes higher and higher while the status of morality is going down. Wealth means everything.

The article "The Great Gatsby as a business ethics inquiry" written by Tony MacAdams mainly analyzes the classic book written by Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby and characters created by the author in the novel. MacAdams claims that "The preliminary response has been encouraging, and on that basis [he is] detailing here an approach to Gatsby as, in part, an expression of Fitzgerald's doubts about America's moral direction" (McAdams 4). In his opinion, The Great Gatsby is a story that serves as an instructor to Fitzgerald's interests in moral sensibilities. That's the main reason why characters' establishments are significant to the story. It gives story a deeper level meaning.

Even though that Gatsby is a liar, he created his own background for everyone instead of telling the truth, he still shows the positive aspect of the society at that time. He stayed on his own life path and made it a moral conviction. He has his personal absolute view of life, and he never went off from his life path. Contradicted to Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy are characters "serve as personifications of the doubts that Fitzgerald seemed to be feeling about the wealthy world that he yearned for and yet criticized" (MacAdams 25). Fitzgerald writes in the book describing Daisy by Gatsby's words, "her voice is full of money" (Fitzgerald 120). "Gatsby becomes a helpful vehicle for examining whether dramatic inequalities in wealth constitute a moral issue" (MacAdams 34).
When people have a better life and try to enjoy their physical wealth, the importance of spiritual wealth and the sense of morality are ignored by the society. Rich people started enjoying lives and looking down to poor. The gap between working class and upper class becomes larger and larger. Morality of the society started decaying because no one really cares about what is right and what is wrong. Everything is about money. When Gatsby and Nick went to New York, the police did nothing to Gatsby after he notice who the man is.

McAdams, Tony. "The Great Gatsby as a
Business Ethics Inquiry." Journal of Business
Ethics 12.8 (1993): 653. ProQuest.
Web. 5 Apr. 2017.


Sanders, April. "Home Life in the 1920s."
Synonym. Synonym, 30 Jan. 2014.
Web. 05 Apr. 2017.


Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The great Gatsby.
London: Penguin , 2000. Print.