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How Did F Scott Fitzgerald Use Prohibition In The Great Gatsby

1417 Words6 Pages

Chad Lynch
Ferrell
English 3 Honors
8 March 2016
The 20’s That You’ve Never Seen Before
Have you ever wanted to feel the wind on your face while speeding away from the police as a bootlegger? Organized crime and prohibition were a very important part of the 1920’s. F. Scott Fitzgerald in the novel The Great Gatsby created the character Jay Gatsby, as an example of the “get rich scheme” this line of work offered.
In 1917, the 18th amendment was passed to ban the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the United States. The quality of alcohol was poor and many people became sick. Deaths from alcohol poisoning rose to 400% (Nash). People will argue that alcohol was less easily obtainable before prohibition since the bootlegging industry was so immense, you could purchase alcohol on almost any street in America. Many …show more content…

Chapter 4 is when Gatsby first introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfshiem, when he takes Nick out for lunch in New York City. it is there that Meyer Wolfshiem admits took fixing the world series, “He’s the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919”(73). Also in a conversation between Gatsby and Wolfshiem there is more reference to the illegal businesses that they are in, “I handed the money to Katspaugh and I said: All right, Katspaugh, don't pay him a penny till he shuts his mouth. He shut it then and there.”(69). This conversation hints at the fact that not only does Gatsby run an illegal bootlegging business that he also is involved with the mob or organized crime. The second character that seems to know about Gatsby’s role in organized crime is Tom. Tom lets everyone know what kind of man Gatsby really is when he is arguing with him, “She’s not leaving me! Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal to put a ring on her finger.”(133). This is Fitzgerald's way of saying that everything Gatsby has he got by doing things the wrong

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He had to have connections to keep the parties going. Organized crime is insinuated to be how Gatsby has gained his wealth, he would get calls from across the east coast, His dealings with Wolfsheim, and he invited high-ranking government officials. These are all signs of his connections to organized

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