108). These types of seemingly innocuous observations are actually powerful commentaries on the darkness that is spreading over society in the 1920s, and the divisions between those on one side of the glass from those on the other. The separation of the classes; that is, the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor in America, can also be traced to jazz age, providing further evidence that this period was a detriment, as opposed to a benefit, to society. Those on the side of the glass enjoying their lavish parties and their fancy cars and their expensive clothing were oblivious to those who remained on the outside looking in, because wealth had become so important that it defined human existence. If one did not have the largest house or gaudiest jewelry, then they did not deserve any acknowledgement.

For many of the socialites...

Gatsby had not yet attained this level of detachment, but the fact that he so strongly desired a woman who was "gleaming like silver, safe and proud of the hot struggles of the poor" (p. 150) illustrates the path down which he was headed had his life not been cut suddenly short. This elitist mindset could in no way be viewed as a benefit to society, except by those who adhere to it. Thus it seems abundantly clear, both from the fictional depictions of The Great Gatsby as well as what we know about the historical events of this era, that the changes which occurred during the jazz age had a detrimental and resonating effect on American society.
Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby, Scribner Publishing, 1999. Print.