F. Scott Fitzgerald was a man of the roaring twenties and its fast paced lifestyle. The Great Gatsby is a novel of this lifestyle and the American society of that time. There was a great bunch of optimism during this time when many were living a life of luxury or the American dream. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows the greedy and materialistic lifestyle lived and pursued by many Americans in the 1920's through Gatsby's parties, background, and funeral. Though Jay Gatsby has mostly lived the American Dream, his life ends in misery and unexpected death, despite his wealth and success.
             Gatsby throws extravagant parties in which many people from all over New York come to get drunk and have a good time. Most of Gatsby's guests are not invited, they just show up. While they are there, many people speculate about the identity of their host for no one person really knows the truth. Some have insisted that he was educated at Oxford; some, that he was an ax murderer; and some, that he was a German spy during the war. This just shows how unappreciative the guests are of Gatsby for throwing this party for them. There is tons of food and expensive hors d'oeuvre, plenty of lights, and a real bar indoors w/ all kinds of liquor for all who attended. Yet, no one is thankful to Gatsby for what he has provided; they just use him and the party for themselves. Not only do they not show they are thankful to him, they show no respect:
             "Once there they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby
             and after that they conducted themselves according to the rules of
             behavior associated with amusement parks. Sometimes they came
             and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with
             a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission."(45)
             These guests really were not very mannerly guests at all. They came and took everything Gatsby offered and left without a care in the world about Gatsby. All ...