Examples Of Greed In The Great Gatsby

“Let's Drink!” “We should party!” “Let's have the time of our lives!” This was the attitude of most people during the 1920’s. It was a time all about partying and spending money. The book, The Great Gatsby, highlights these concepts in many places throughout the book. This is particularly apparent when we are introduced to Jay Gatsby and his lifestyle in the beginning of the book. Many of the parties he held at his home were full of young, carefree spirits which the 1920’s are known for. Though it was told to be a glamorous time, not everything was as great as it was made out to be. It was a corrupt time for of materialistic ideals when looking back and shining a light in a different way. Gangsters ran the cities, government officials were

The ideas of trustworthiness and racism are clearly seen within the book, along with a lot of drinking. The 20’s were a time of corruption, and that could very clearly be seen throughout time and The Great Gatsby.

After the Prohibition during the 1920’s gangsters slowly started taking over. Many had infiltrated the police force and government as a way to assure themselves not much trouble would come from their activities. Most of the activity was focused on bootlegging during the time. Often times gangsters smuggled bootleg whiskey, among other things, into larger cities such as Chicago and New York. Jay Gatsby was often accused of partaking in these illegal activities. For example in the book, Tom asked Nick about Gatsby; ‘Who is this Gatsby anyhow?’ demanded Tom suddenly. ‘Some big bootlegger?’ ‘Where’d you hear that?’ I inquired. ‘I didn’t hear it. I imagined it. A lot

The KKK, for example, was thriving during this time. They were a very respected part of the Democratic party and reached peak political power during the time. They were a group of white males that were anti-African American, anti-Jewish, anti-foreign, and anti-Catholic. They would kill people and set houses on fire for being of a different race or not sharing beliefs. In the book, Tom is very clearly a racist man and expresses it many times throughout the book from beginning to end. Of course, he did not act in a violent matter towards them whatsoever, only speaking of the matter. This trend starts in the very beginning of the book when he speaks of a book; ‘Have you read ‘The Rise of the Coloured Empires’ by this man Goddard?’ ‘Why, no,’ I answered, rather surprised by his tone. ‘Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved.’ (Ch. 1 Pg. 16) He is clearly in agreeance with the book as he says, “..everybody ought to read it.” The book talks about how one day the colored people will rise and take over, and he was a firm believer in this. During this time, people of color were starting to rise and create things. Colored people weren’t meant to be successful at the time so it came to a shock to many. For example, in The Great Gatsby, there was a scene in which Nick saw a Group of African Americans