The corruption of the American Dream The Great Gatsby takes place during the 1920’s and it is a time when the old values and the new are in a battle with one another. The Great Gatsby has characters who believe in the American dream and those who are corrupting the dream in prosuit of wealth and personal gain. The character, Nick is the perfect example of those with the faith in the existence of the dream. He is part of the group who believes in the old values and the belief that ones own hard work will at the end deliver rewards. He comes east to experience the new and exciting world of New York, yet he does not seem to belong to this pa