During Fitzgerald"s The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.

             The first character who represents the shallowness of the wealthy is Myrtle Wilson, even though she is not wealthy at all. She seeks to escape her own class and stoops to the low point of betraying her trusting husband who loves her more than anything. Her attempt to break into the higher class that Tom belongs to is doomed to fail. Even though she does take on Tom"s way of living during their affair, she only becomes more vulgar and corrupt like the rich. She scorns people from her own class and loses all sense of morality. Myrtle never finds a place in Tom"s higher social division, and what reveals her impertinence most is that she thought she would succeed in the first place, giving up all her morals for the wealthy. .

             Undoubtedly, Tom and Daisy Buchanan exceedingly demonstrate the wealthy class"s lack of integrity. Their lives are filled with material comforts and luxuries and completely empty of true purpose. Daisy"s lament is especially indicative of this:.

             "What"ll we do with ourselves this afternoon? And the day after that? And the next thirty years?".

             Daisy also exhibits her shallowness when she is too restless to wait for her 'love", Gatsby, to return from he war, and she marries Tom. Her most drastic immoral action is committed when she runs over Myrtle and does not even bother to stop and help a person that is 'below" her. Daisy"s husband, Tom shows his ridiculous morality in different ways.