Mccarthyism In The Great Gatsby

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The flower that is the American Dream continues to wither as the Tom Buchanans and the Meyer Wolfsheims of the time promote the rise of an underworld in both literary and real life 1920’s America. The Tom Buchanans control the legal institutions while the Meyer Wolfsheims rule the illegal. There is a mutual dependence between the two, the Tom Buchanans want booze and the Meyer Wolfsheims don’t want to have a run in with the law. So, the Wolfsheims supply the Buchanan’s with bootlegged liquor in exchange for continuing business free of repercussions from the law. The Twenties are tainted by this relationship as it corrupts government and promotes the “values” of the new American Dream, which are along the lines of: money is money regardless …show more content…

The beginning of the Roaring Twenties was defined by the passing of the 18th Amendment, banning the manufacturing, selling, and, drinking of alcohol (Kallen 15). The Prohibition era blends with the events of The Great Gatsby opening up ways to financial prosperity and fame for people who otherwise would have never achieved either through the business of bootlegging. The massive demand for liquor, particularly among the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) made it possible for many people including Jay Gatsby to become “filthy” rich by satisfying these needs. Gatsby used bootlegging during this time to make millions, bringing him a step closer to reaching his dream of getting Daisy back. Bootlegging is the “get rich quick” method of the 1920’s, contradicting the concept that the American Dream is achieved through honest, hard work. Prohibition and the rise of organized crime play a key part in corrupting the values of the American Dream thus further promoting its decline. Lehan believes, “Prohibition only extended the activities of the New York underworld, which The Great Gatsby catches with great

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