Portrayal of Amory Blaine as a Uniquely American Character in This Side of Paradise by Scott Fitzgerald The novel This Side of Paradise by Scott Fitzgerald is a story about the life of Amory Blaine, a young American man torn between his need to conform to societal expectations and the desire to develop an authentic self identity. Brought up in an upper class environment, Amory is, from an early age, socialized into high society by his wealthy and sophisticated mother. He attends elite learning institutions, with the hope that it will help him to be successful and fit into the upper class society that every American dreams of belonging in. However, these ambitions go unfulfilled because besides being lazy, the young Amory is more fascinated by unconventional lifestyles and worldviews than conformity to societal expectations and academic success. Amory’s experiences make him uniquely American because they portray the struggles and life crises that American youths encounter in life.