How Is The Great Gatsby An Accurate Portrayal Of The 1920s

The Great Gatsby is mostly an accurate portrayal of the 1920s due to the references towards the historical circumstances exhibited by the plot. For instance, a significant theme depicted in the story is prohibition and its influence on the society; consequently, since The Great Gatsby takes place in the summer of 1922, prohibition is an immense aspect of the American culture of the time. Correspondingly, organized crime and prohibition share a direct correlation since consumption of alcohol was illegal, yet it was very much alive. In the 1800s alcohol became a prevalent habit due to the new businesses that produced it; therefore, drinking became a widespread epidemic. Overall, The Great Gatsby portrays the Roaring 20s using pivotal references

For instance, numerous men such as Dion O'Bannion, John Torrio, Al Capone, John Torrio, Dutch Schultz, Chester La Mare controlled different parts of the country, but when they collided bloody battles occurred such as the St Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929 (Histroy.com staff). Unfortunately, these were some of the important gang groups that monopolized and controlled certain areas; additionally, not only were they well known, but also they were untouchable by the police force. Consequently, police began involving more in the corruption and crimes that climaxed in the time period, and many criminals were tried and arrested for several scandals. However, the reversal of federal corruption is not portrayed in The Great Gatsby, so this depicts one of the few flaws in the novel. Additionally, corruption was present not only physically in the economy, but also in the minds of people, since it was a time known for the extensive and unlimited spending, so people fantasized about the American Dream. The American Dream was expected to be achieved through hard work, but in reality it was achieved through extensive borrowing and increasing credit growth; and this can be supported by the lifestyle delineated in the novel. The Great Gatsby focuses on the corruption, especially in the character named

For instance, PBS says, “The character of millionaire Jay Gatsby represents the extremes of 1920s wealth and decadence. Gatsby devotes his life to accumulate riches in order to attract the attention of his romantic obsession, the lovely but spoiled Daisy Buchanan,” (Avey, Tori). Gatsby exemplified how people were ambitious and full of dreams as they believed that hard work can be repaid with materialistic possessions and the perfect family. Similarly, to an extent the American Dream was achieved in the twenties, but more importantly, people had the dreams and hopes within them that led them to believe much of what is portrayed in the novel is true. Since the author experienced the time and worked closely analyzing the events, the novel written by Fitzgerald would have to be accurate. Overall, the novel and the time period fit like puzzles when it comes to the prohibition and organized