The 1920s was characterized by overwhelming greed from the upper class in the United States which fostered a decade of luxury and desire for the elite. Following World War 1, the availability of leisure activities and growing wealth disparity introduced a new American society that craved luxury and status despite their already excessive power and the working class’ continued struggles with poverty. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, "The Great Gatsby, " Tom Buchanan's character encompasses the 1920s elites' greedy and selfish attitudes toward wealth and relationships. Although Tom has an abundance of privileges including money and family, the character struggles with his desires when he becomes entangled in a marital affair. The narrator describes that Tom's "sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his …show more content…
The upper classes' substantial political power became exceedingly controversial in the 1920s as the Prohibition Movement highlighted high society’s greedy nature. The 18th Amendment officially made the distribution of alcohol illegal but the effects of the amendment seemed unfair to the general public. The upper-class lifestyle revolved around alcohol and despite the amendment rich businessmen were able to continue distributing the beverage. However, fines and jail time typically targeted the poorer class and left them vulnerable to the government’s new regulations. By destroying competition, the rich continued to consume and sell alcohol while forcing the lower class to succumb to their regulation. Alcohol and other entertainment were also popular in jazz clubs throughout the 1920s. Locations like the famous Cotton Club, however, reached success by starring black musicians but banning black customers. The beginnings of the Harlem Renaissance saw the exploitation of black artists by greedy