On September 24, 1896, a man was born who would become one of the greatest authors in American history. Short story writer and novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of the classic American novel The Great Gatsby, used his experiences and relationships during the early 1900s to inspire his writing. As it pertains specifically to The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald's relationship with his wife Zelda directly corresponds to his creation of the character Daisy Buchanan and informs his critique of the American elite of the 1920s. Zelda directly inspired Daisy; this can be seen through the similarities in their upbringing and personality. Zelda and Daisy grew up in very rich and wealthy families in the Southeast. Both women were upwardly mobile women interested in climbing the social ladder, and both were materialistic, attention-seeking, and recklessly uninhibited. Furthermore, through his negative portrayal of Daisy in The Great Gatsby, it can be seen that Fitzgerald's criticism of the American elite stems from his relationship with his wife. It was his relationship with Zelda that led Fitzgerald to criticize wealthy America, and the character of Daisy represents this directly. The parallel between Zelda and Daisy can be drawn first and foremost regarding their upbringing and personality. Zelda and Daisy grew up in wealthy Southern families. Zelda Sayre was born Montgomery, Alabama and was the daughter of a wealthy Alabama Supreme Court justice (Biography.com). Similarly, Daisy Fay grew up wealthy in Kentucky, living in a “rich house” with the “biggest lawn” in Louisville (Fitzgerald 149 and 74). Zelda and Daisy were both young and popular high society personalities; Daisy was “the most popular of all years… half of the newspaper… to criticize American society in the 1920s, and Zelda in particular was the inspiration for the character of Daisy Buchanan. A parallel can be drawn between the two women by examining their equally wealthy upbringings and selfish personalities. It's often said that the key to good writing is to "write what you know," and in this case Fitzgerald did just that: this novel is basically a thinly veiled autobiography. His unpleasant life experiences led him to be very critical of the rich, and ultimately it was his wife who inspired this criticism. However, the importance of this great novel does not lie in the fact that its author drew on life experience to develop his criticism. While this is interesting, what really matters is that it continues to be taught, because Fitzgerald's message that society is corrupt certainly still holds true today..