The Jazz Age revolved around the idea that one’s worth is found in their ability to be rich and stay rich. Because of this materialistic idolatry, an individual’s identity and their wealth became inseparable. In Echoes of the Jazz Age, Fitzgerald argues that “Charm, notoriety, mere good manners weighed more than money as a social aspect.” (9). What Fitzgerald is trying to communicate here is that because so many people were rich, the overall value of manners went up due to one simple fact - greed. This can be seen when Nick notices Daisy choosing Buchanan over Gatsby simply because Buchanan is “old money” (and therefore reliably wealthy). He points this clear decision out when he notes that, “They weren’t happy, and neither of them had touched
