Examples Of Prohibition In The Great Gatsby

Gatsby and Prohibition
A vast majority of the failures in The Great Gatsby can be directly linked to the disaster that was the American Prohibition. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, a vast majority of events directly relate to the alcoholic atmosphere of the roaring 20’s, and Jay Gatsby, the title character himself, seems to have acquired his great wealth through bootlegging, a key part of the prohibition. As shown in the novel, Prohibition failed because despite tight policies and regulation, the wealthy attained access to the substance being prohibited because of the black market for it. Not only did organized crime increase, but due to the Prohibition, a lack of respect for laws and an age of carelessness became a reality, shown

William Domhoff, the rich were able to bypass the restriction on alcohol through bribery and power. This potential directly influenced the character traits of many in The Great Gatsby, including Tom and Daisy Buchanan and their colleagues, like Jordan Baker and other wealthy individuals. Throughout the novel there are many instances of these characters being intoxicated, and directly affected by the alcohol that is supposedly “prohibited”. For example, “half an hour before her bridal dinner” with Tom, Daisy Buchanan was found “as drunk as a monkey”, by Jordan Baker, with "a bottle of sauterne in one hand (129)" and a letter from Gatsby in the other. Another exhibit of alcohol abuse during the prohibition is shown by the actions of Tom, Daisy’s husband. In addition to his careless and obvious unfaithfulness to daisy, even more detestable aspects of Mr. Buchanan’s character become pronounced when he is under the influence. Tom becomes threatening, even violent, when he became irritated towards his “mistress”, Myrtle, for saying Daisy’s name, that he “[makes] a short deft movement... [breaking] her nose with his open hand 125).” Shown when he punches this woman, Tom’s violent and reckless behavior is accentuated through his intoxication, and due to alcohol’s illegal status, this leads Tom to believe that he is not only dominant over, but more worthy than both his mistress, and, unfortunately, his wife as