“I like big parties. They are so intimate. In small parties there is no privacy” (54). F. Scott Fitzgerald details these great parties and more in his American classic, The Great Gatsby. In this story, Nick Carraway, the narrator, goes to live next door to Jay Gatsby, an eccentric billionaire with a deep passion for Daisy Buchanan, the girl from his past who left him because he was poor. Gatsby tries to win her back by throwing big parties and flaunting his wealth to demonstrate his love for her. The social occasions described in this novel reveal the morals of the characters surrounding Jay Gatsby. Gatsby's partygoers demonstrate that during happy times, everyone wants their share of fun. Almost everyone present is simply there to have fun at Mr. Gatsby's expense. People simply appear uninvited, some without even meeting their gracious host, and leave when they have drunk and danced to their heart's content. “They were once introduced by someone who knew Gatsby and then behaved according to the rules of behavior associated with amusement parks. Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby, they came to the party with a simplicity of heart that was their ticket of entry” (45). Very few of the partygoers actually know Jay Gatsby, and wild rumors are circulating about who he really is. There is speculation that he was a German spy during the war or that he even killed a man. “As a testament to the romantic speculation he inspired, there were whispers about him from those who had found little need whispered about in this world” (48). Many of Gatsby's guests simply use him for entertainment, and this becomes evident when his circus... middle of paper... river of money, Tom, without hesitation. “I called Daisy half an hour after I found him, I called her instinctively and without hesitation. But she and Tom had left early that afternoon and had brought some luggage with them” (172). Jay Gatsby thought that getting rich could get him everything he wanted, but in the end he was left with nothing. Parties and funerals highlight the good, the bad and above all the ugly of the characters in this story. Many of their moral shortcomings can be linked to money. Fitzgerald leaves readers of his great novel with a simple lesson to learn: money can't buy happiness. Today's society is fueled by consumerism. The greater an individual's purchasing power, the happier he or she appears to be. This is simply not the case. A foundation of friends and family who truly care for each other is what will bring the greatest joy.