F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby depicts the Jazz Age of the 1920s and how society operates under the influence of the American Dream. Society in this period is made up of enormous hopes and dreams of self-improvement. In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream hides behind a mirage of beauty and splendor, but in reality the corruption and illusions within this dream cause Americans to be drawn into its web of lies, deception, and greed. Scott Fitzgerald strongly criticizes the American dream (Seschachari 1). Fitzgerald shows readers that the American Dream in this time period is all about romance, material objects, youth, and the emergence of selfishness (Seschachari 2). People value tangible objects over strong moral values. A life of extravagance, however, is not always without repercussions. People in this society live in a fake world of beauty, but in reality the American dream is a flawed illusion. In the American Dream, equality is an impossible feat and even though Americans have many opportunities, people will always be barred from true achievement (Hearne 191). Meyer Wolfshiem, a corrupt businessman, represents how disillusioned the American dream is. His ways reek of brutality, yet he sits pleasantly in a restaurant exchanging pleasantries with Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway (Hearne 192). Fitzgerald writes: “A small, flat-nosed Jew raised his great head and looked at me with two thin tufts of hair thriving in both nostrils. After a moment I discovered his little eyes in the dim light” (Fitzgerald 69). (Check how to cite) Additionally, Wolfsheim boasts that the buttons on his cuffs are real human molars; however, Wolfshiem is considered by Jay Gatsby to be a nice gentleman. This demonstrates the facade of brutality that Wolfsheim portrays. Wolfshiem ultimately represents the corruption in the American dream (Hearne 192). Fitzgerald's ultimate goal in writing The Great Gatsby is to shed light on the illusions of the American Dream to the American people (Hearne 189). If Americans were better informed about the American dream, they would be less likely to fall subject to its evils. (Also add or move) Jay Gatsby, in particular, becomes a strangely unique character in The Great Gatsby. Although Jay Gatsby strives for the finest material objects, he does not strive for these objects in hopes of fulfilling any kind of dream except the romantic one (Seshachari 2).