The Great Gatsby, written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, is one of the most prominent books in American literature of all time. The book is narrated by Nick Carraway, but the events of the book already happened, and he is just recollecting those events and telling it to the reader. It’s a story set in the 1920s that follows Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, two people who live on opposite sides of the economic spectrum. In this era, there were many illicit activities that people participated in. In this story, Fitzgerald uses the historical context of the 1920s to portray how this era was corrupt.
At one of Gatsby’s parties, Nick enters the library and shortly meets a man, whom he calls "Owl Eyes". He has little presence in the book, but the first time Nick meets him, he is immensely drunk. In Chapter Three, Nick is having a conversation with the man, and eventually, he says, "I’ve been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library" (33). Despite alcohol being illegal during the 1920s, Owl Eyes and
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After being pulled over for speeding, Gatsby is set free without repercussions by showing the police officer a white card. Nick then asks what the card is about, to which Gatsby responds, "I was able to do the commissioner a favor once, and he sends me a Christmas card every year" (49). Gatsby did a favor for the police commissioner, which allowed him to get a card that lets Gatsby get away with illegal activities. Due to the influx of wealthy people due to bootlegging at the time, many were able to pay large amounts of cash for specific favors from organizations, including the police. With a card this powerful, it can be assumed that Gatsby pays off the commissioner for that card, which is illegal because the police cannot take bribes. The reference to police corruption through bribes supports Fitzgerald’s notion that the 1920s is a corrupt