Sympathy For The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, during the 1920’s, is a classic American story about a man named Jay Gatsby, who strived for his perception of the American dream. His impossible desire to get the girl he loved and to achieve an extravagant lifestyle; however, lead to his demise. Furthermore, the reader is supposed to sympathise with the character because …. Gatsby background was not explicitly stated; James Gatz, as he was actually named, was among the many during the 1920s who had taken advantage of the prohibition era to become rich through bootlegging and organized crime. The reader still knows about the background; nonetheless, there is still sympathy for the character despite the evident crimes he committed. This acceptance

The amendment was submitted by Congress and banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors. In October, 1919, Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, more commonly known as the Volstead act. Championed by Representative Andrew Volstead of Mississippi, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the Volstead Act defined which "intoxicating liquors" were prohibited, as well as those that were excluded from prohibition, such as those for medical and religious purposes. The prohibition era had officially started, which came with its own problems as the american population before prohibition, had consumed vast amounts of alcohol peaking at 7.1 gallons per person in 1830’s. Bruce Bustard, senior curator of Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History, explains how “[one might have thought] of that as an astounding amount [...] but most people were able to handle their alcohol because its was integrated into daily life”(qtd. in O’Brien). The abrupt withdrawal of alcohol caused backlash and as a result it prompted citizens to be willing to indulge in illegal activities in order to satisfy their

Al capone was one person in history who embodied this dilemma. Alphonso Caponi was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York to Gabriel and Theresa Caponi who came to the United States from Italy. Like many children in America at the time “Capone was taught that the main purpose of life was to acquire wealth and that the United States was the land of opportunity”(Capone Biography). Subsequently, he engaged in criminal activity to achieve success in the prejudice society after finding out about the gap within his reality and the American dream (Capone Biography). Capone had entered the crime business when he met a gangster named Johnny Torrio. In 1919, Capone fled Brooklyn for Chicago in order to avoid a murder charge. Whereupon, he moved up the ranks of the Five Points Gang he was affiliated to and became an assistant to the gang's leader, Johnny Torrio. Al Capone gained control of the bootlegging business in Chicago when Torrio fled the country. Eventually ”Between 1927 and 1931 he was viewed by many as the real ruler of Chicago”(Capone biography). Al capone's rise to the top is the perfect example to how societal standards and perception of the American dream was seen as useless, whereby a menace to society could become so wealthy and powerful. Citizens at the time saw these organizations and criminals as heroes, since more people