Wealth and economic success affected the lives of Americans living in the 1920s. Lavish lifestyles, excess and flamboyant clothing were the fashion of this decade. By that time, “America [had become] the richest country in the world without obvious rivals” (America in the 1920s). Francis Scott Fitzgerald, an American writer of the time, used the events of his life and the realities of the world around him to create one of the most influential works in the history of America: The Great Gatsby. Through his work, Fitzgerald was able to portray the truth behind the luxurious scenes of the 1920s. Fitzgerald's revelation of the truth produced a strong reaction from his contemporaries and left a lasting impression in the centuries that followed. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald exemplified literary talent from an extraordinarily young age. At the age of thirteen, F. Scott Fitzgerald began to pursue his writing skills. When his parents noticed this extraordinary talent in young Fitzgerald, “they sent him to the Newman School, a prestigious Catholic preparatory school in New Jersey” at the age of fifteen. While at the Newman School, Fitzgerald met a priest named Father Sigourney Fay. Father Fay "noticed his incipient talent with the written word and encouraged him to pursue his literary ambitions" (F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio). Fitzgerald graduated from the Newman School in 1913 and continued to pursue his literary development at Princeton University. While at Princeton, Fitzgerald continued to develop his artistic skills as a writer, “writing screenplays for Princeton's popular Triangle Club musicals, as well as frequent articles for the Princeton Tiger humor magazine and stories for the Nassau Lite...... middle of paper......rald Bio). Fitzgerald successfully reached his time through the hidden morals in many of his works. In his most influential work, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald described “how we love the promise of the glittering and brilliant and powerful, but how even dreaming of it, let alone seeking it, corrupts and destroys us.” us." Fitzgerald dedicated himself to assisting the readers of his time, and then, to recognize this failure of humanity. While constructing his works, Fitzgerald strove to achieve the goal of literature, which is to "notice and point out things previously little noticed in our experience, and help us to experience life more fully, sometimes even more wisely" (Quora). . Fitzgerald artistically portrayed the truths behind the extravagance of his time in hopes of helping future generations.