Many people claim that "The Great Gatsby" is the quintessential American novel. This is due to the reoccurring theme of the book of the rise and fall of the American dream. The book is very significant because of its relation to the time period in which it was written and the actual events that were taking place in the world in and around the 1920's. This period was called the "Roaring 20's" because of the …showed first 75 words of 2002 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2002 total…Fitzgerald and the American Dream. New York: Crowell, 1973 Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster Inc., New York: 1991 The Great Gatsby: A Beginner's Guide. Ed. Hudson Gevaert. 1996. 3 April 2006 http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/3844/?20058.htm The Great Gatsby. http://www.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us/grgatsb.htm Trask, David F. "The End of the American Dream," Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: The Novel,The Critics, The Background. Ed. Henry D. Piper. Charles Schribner's Sons, New York: 1970