“Gatsby believed in the green light, in the orgastic future that year after year recedes before us... Tomorrow we will run faster, we will stretch our arms more... And one beautiful morning—” (Fitzgerald 180). In this quote from The Great Gatsby, Nick attempts to describe the nature of Gatsby's hope and draws the parallel to all of our hopes and dreams that we have as Americans. F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American novelist and short story writer, was an extraordinary author who used his work, just like in the quote above, to write about the Roaring Twenties and the hopes of Americans during that time. His early work shows an idealistic feeling for the potential of college life, and in “The East” he earned the nickname “the spokesman of the jazz age.” His third novel, The Great Gatsby, is one of the most powerful portraits of American life and the pursuit of the Great American Dream in the 1920s. This article will reflect on Fitzgerald's excellent work in conveying the lifestyle and pursuit of the American dream through his characters, both in The Great Gatsby and "Winter Dreams." The influences of Fitzgerald's life on his works will be explored, why he is considered a historian of the 1920s, and how Fitzgerald uses his characters to reveal the era of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald, during his youth, showed a talent for drama, first writing original plays for amateur making. While at Princeton, he composed verse for the university's famous Triangle Club productions. Before he had the opportunity to graduate, he volunteered for the Army during World War I. Because of his enlistment, he spent weekends writing original drafts of his first novel. The work was successful and was accepted in 1919 by S...... middle of paper ......dwick-Johnston Memorial Lib., Madisonville, TN by Charles Scribner. March 12, 2012.Prigozy, Ruth. “F(rancis) Scott(key) Fitzgerald.” American Short Story Writers, 1910-1945: First Series. Ed. Bobby Ellen Kimbel. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 86. Literary Resource Center. Hardwick-Johnston Memorial Lib., Madisonville, TN. March 12, 2012.Tompkins, Sandra. Conference: “F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby”. English 3120: HiwasseeCollege. March 27, 2012.Trask, David F. “A Note on Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.” University Review 33.3 (March 1967): 197-202. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Hardwick-Johnston Memorial Lib., Madisonville, TN. March 12, 2012.Whitley, Peggy. “Lone Star College - Kingwood.” American cultural history. Lone Star College Library. April 5. 2012.