There is no doubt that prohibition in the 1920s caused a huge uproar from the nation. For many Americans, prohibition was a barrier to everyday life. No longer could you go out at night to a bar, buy or sell alcohol at the store or attend social events. Unlike the average American who was frustrated by prohibition, for Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, it was all he needed to create a new life for himself. Through prohibition, Gatsby received wealth opportunities, power in his community, and the ability to throw extravagant parties. From the start of the novel, many rumors are spread about who Gatsby is, where he came from, and how he obtained his wealth. Later in the novel Nick learns that “[Gatsby’s] parents were …show more content…
A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know” (Fitzgerald 107). Tom’s comment alludes to the fact that Gatsby gets his money through bootlegging, based on the sudden wealth he gained. If it was not for prohibition and the ability to make money fast, Jay Gatsby would not have the wealth and social status associated with his “Great Gatsby” title. The money gained from prohibition and direct access to alcohol from bootlegging, allows Jay Gatsby to throw extravagant parties. Gatsby invites Nick to one of his famous parties and upon entering the function Nick sees, “In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors” (Fitzgerald 40). Prohibition is a time of desperation. Before this law was enacted, people enjoyed drinking, gathering at bars, and having a good time, but with prohibition all of these social events were taken away. Gatsby’s parties promise alcohol and enjoyment, hence, people are attracted to him and his parties. Not only did the promise of booze give people a reason to go to his social gatherings, but it also gave him an opportunity to throw a party in hopes of attracting his love,
The United States and our government has been shaped entirely from its past. We have learned right from wrong, what has worked and what has failed. The 1920s was a time in our country where the government created a law that upset the people. This decade is often referred to as The Roaring 20’s, The Jazz Age, The Prohibition Era, The Cocktail Era, etc. All these names perfectly describe this time, but it was also a time to learn from the mistake of creating a law that prohibited alcohol. This law played such a huge role in the decade, and has been forever remembered. The Great Gatsby is a romance novel that also hints on the time of prohibition. F. Scott Fitzgerald talked greatly about alcohol and the part it took in The Roaring 20 's. Though
Gangs are also a major problem, especially with the new prohibition laws. The prohibition laws and gangs of this time fit quite nicely with a novel published by F. Scott Fitzgerald - “The Great Gatsby,” which constantly mentions these themes. In this novel, Fitzgerald stresses the consumer culture and fascination with wealth that was overpowering in the 1920’s. Women are also trying to push ahead on the social ladder.
In the early 1900’s, the United States began to face a nationwide crisis. Death, monopolistic corruption, and local gangs were littered throughout each community. Soon enough, the people of America grew tired of the crimes and violence so they created a movement in attempt to create a more perfect world. Unfortunately, some of their attempts backfired, creating an even worse environment for individuals in big cities. Upon these attempts was the prohibition act of 1920.
The excessive consumption of alcohol is also prevalent in both stories. In The Great Gatsby, the characters indulge in alcohol to escape from reality or to lower their inhibitions. “The bottle of whiskey--a second one--was now in constant demand by all present” (45; ch. 2). Alcohol is not only a major part of Gatsby’s notorious parties, but it is also how he illegally gained his massive fortune. He is also using the alcohol and parties to win the favor of the society of old money. However, because he can never achieve this, it only gives him false hope (Mangum 514). As said before, Gatsby can never enter the world of old money, even using alcohol as an
...rall it seemed like Americans were having lots of fun during the Prohibition. No book captures the carless and wild period quite like F. Scott Fitzgerald did in The Great Gatsby. Although Gatsby’s wealth was not overnight we have to respect him because he worked for it. He may have had to do some wrong things to get there but at least he was motivated and dedicated. All Gatsby wanted to do was impress Daisy. He loved her more than he even knew he did. It sad but in the end love really does kill Jay Gatsby.
Even with all the side effects of Gatsby’s lifestyle, however, there is still a large gap about Gatsby to discuss considering the depth of hedonism has within The Great Gatsby. There still stands the question of how Gatsby even funds his hedonistic lifestyle to woo Daisy, especially since he has no real job except for his job with Meyer Wolfsheim, which is bootlegging. His cooperation with Wolfsheim is what funds Gatsby. At first, it may seem to be not enough to pay for the weekly parties and the shirts upon shirts, but when one takes into account the time the novel occurs in and the time of the Eighteenth Amendment. Moreover, while alcohol was banned, it did not stop the consumption. In fact, “While the reduction in drinking had some positive
During the 1920s, the social scene was gradually changing because of the Prohibition Law; with the influence of prohibition, new waves of modern gangsters were created, and they were primarily involved in such crimes as “bootlegging” and “bank robbery.” The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, wrote the novel of The Great Gatsby, which focuses on the unachievable love affair between Gatsby and Daisy. In this novel, Jay Gatsby confronts death by getting shot on his back by flaming pistol triggered by Mr. Wilson. However, Mr. Wilson is not the only person who is responsible for Gatsby’s death; Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan are also accountable.
In F. Scott Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a Wealthy man that made his money through unknown ways. Gatsby obtained his money during the roaring 1920s and this time organized crime was at large because of prohibition and the illegal selling of alcohol. Gatsby tries to offer a position to nick but he declines because the whole thing is sketchy. Gatsby uses his money to impress daisy and gain social stature even though the way he obtained it may not be viewed as ethical. While there people out there that were stealing and killing in the roaring twenties, Gatsby was committing crimes of a lesser intensity and he was making more money than the murderers and thieves.
Fitzgerald accurately portrayed the flamboyancy of the 1920s in The Great Gatsby. Many aspects contributed to this flamboyancy and indifference. The pursuit of the “American Dream” contributed to the actions of Americans and to the actions of Fitzgerald’s characters. The advent of prohibition in 1920 also pushed the actions of Americans, real and imaginary. Gangsters and organized crime were an influential force in the young aristocracy of the 1920s. The revolution of new women also greatly impacted society’s twists and turns during the 1920s. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald accurately portrayed these aspects of 1920s American society.
Looking back in American history, America has tended to have different phases lasting around ten years. The nineteen-twenties will always be remembered in history because of the triumphal progress in many different areas. The twenties were a time of great change in America in many different areas. The changes were in the laws, the lifestyle of women especially and the moral values that they lived by. One of the major events that sculpted this era was prohibition. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the life of crime associated with prohibition causing the enormous transformation of Jay Gatz to Jay Gatsby, and also causing a tremendous change in America.
This is conveyed to the reader when Baker is recognized by two girls at one of Gatsby’s parties that she attends with Nick Carraway and they proclaim “You don’t know who we are, but we met you here about a month ago” (Fitzgerald 43). Baker also declares her love for parties as she comments “And I like large parties, they’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy” (Fitzgerald 49). As the Gatsby era was during the time of Prohibition, the period of time that alcohol was made illegal, the alcohol at these parties was bootleg liquor.
Gatsby also displays examples of corruption through his acquisition of wealth. Gatsby's business dealings are not clear. He admits to his neighbor, Nick that he is "in the drug store business" (95). The drug store business during prohibition means that the person is a bootlegger. Bootlegging is a highly profitable business and bootleggers are commonly associates with gangsters who commit harsh and cruel deeds. The society Gatsby wants to be a part of is based on money and power, not faith and love.
The 1920s were greatly influenced by prohibition. The prohibition law restricted the manufacturing, consumption, transportation, and sale of alcohol. The law was put into effect to lower the crime and corruption rates in the United States in the 1920s. It was also said to reduce social problems and lower taxes. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald examines the negative repercussions of prohibition on the economy, characters in the Great Gatsby, and on the different social classes of the 1920s.
Several individuals mark Gatsby to be a man of great wealth, with a beautiful estate, and an abundance of friends. To illustrate, parties that are hosted at Gatsby’s house are magnificent, filled with professional entertainment, music and dancers, and guests varying from politicians to movie stars. Fitzgerald paints the picture of the parties at Gatsby’s house in great detail in this passage “The bar is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.” (Fitzgerald 44). It can be seen that these were extravagant parties filled with lust and alcohol. The evidence shows that no ordinary man would be throwing parties of this form, only a man with great wealth and resources would pull of such a feat. Furthermore, this was the prohibition era, which meant that alcohol and the consumption of alcohol was illegal. After this brief look into Gatsby’s life, one can understand why he was considered “great”, but to truly understand Gatsby’s greatness, one must look into his
The 1920’s were a time of social and technological change. After World War II, the Victorian values were disregarded, there was an increase in alcohol consumption, and the Modernist Era was brought about. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a perfect presentation of the decaying morals of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald uses the characters in the novel--specifically the Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Gatsby’s partygoers--to represent the theme of the moral decay of society.