entangled with hope and success, inevitably replacing their places in the American Dream with materialism. This replacement is evident in Gatsby's use of illegal practices and underground connections to attain his enormous fortune. His ostentatious parties, boundless mansion, and lavish clothing are all signs of his unknowing corruption. His ability to evade the law, demonstrated when his traffic violation is ignored by a police officer, reveals his use of status and privilege to get what he needs. Although Gatsby's rise to prominence is symbolic of the nature of the new dream, the most odious qualities of that dream are evident in Daisy and Tom Buchanan, who live their lives with no hopes and no regrets because the true foundation of their characters is their opulence. While Daisy is never heard from again after Gatsby's death, Nick confronts Tom one last time, at which point Gatsby's rival responds: "'I told him the truth... What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him'" (pg 187). Tom admits to the fact that he is responsible for Gatsby's murder and Wilson's suicide, but continues to claim innocence because he has never known guilt nor shame as a member of the established elite. Through Nick, Fitzgerald pinpoints the effect of the modern dream on the upper class, thus condemning an entire people and its revered society: "It couldn't forgive him or like him but I saw what he had done was, to him, entirely justified... They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashe...
