F. Fitzgerald in the great American novel, The Great Gatsby, suggests that the 1920s, and more so any period of materialism, was a period of shallow wealth on top of a valley of emptiness. Fitzgerald supports his claim by illustrating the dissatisfaction of the rich, the depravity of the poor, and the moral lacking of the periods populace. The author's purpose is to show how the overarching cynicism and greed destroyed the 1920s in order to evaluate the validity of the American Dream in their materialistic society. The author writes in a detached, cynical tone for the young generations who are yet to be deluded by wealth.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is among the most prominent writers from the Lost Generation. He and many of his peers were disillusioned by the materialism of America after WWI. Thus several of his works, such as The Great Gatsby and "Winter Dreams", satirize and denounce the dream of acquiring wealth for the sake of wealth. This is done through the use of characters like Gatsby and Dexter who achieve wealth but never obtain happiness - emphasizing the point that the two ideas are not as inextricably linked as common notion held at the time.
