Social Life of Fitzgerald and His Wife at Long Island Parties

In 1923, while residing on Long Island, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, became deeply immersed in the extravagant social scene of the wealthy elite. Lavish parties, filled with opulence and indulgence, surrounded them, offering both allure and disillusionment. Fitzgerald admired wealth and its trappings but was also critical of its moral emptiness, feeling a “smoldering resentment of a peasant” toward the privileged class. This internal conflict—between aspiration and critique—became a defining theme in his work. During this time, Fitzgerald found inspiration for The Great Gatsby through his neighbor, Max Gerlach, a self-made millionaire and bootlegger who had once served as a major in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Gerlach’s wealth, charisma, and mysterious past embodied the contradictions of the Jazz Age—glamour built on shaky foundations. His lifestyle, along with the decadent yet morally ambiguous parties that Fitzgerald attended, laid the groundwork for Jay Gatsby and the novel’s exploration of wealth, class, and the American Dream. These experiences, shaped by both admiration and critique, resulted in one of American literature’s most enduring social commentaries. #mooflife #mof #MomentOfLife #FScottFitzgerald #TheGreatGatsby #LongIsland #JazzAge #AmericanDream #MaxGerlach #1923