Roger Muckenfuss Prof. Clarke AP English Pd. 6 26 April 2024 Gatsby’s Fortune: How did Jay Gatsby really get his money? The story of The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, begins with the depiction of the main character, Gatby’s, immense wealth and his lavish lifestyle. He throws extravagant parties inviting as many people over as he can, while overly displaying his wealth. However, Gatsby’s personality isn’t really about throwing large parties and showing off, in fact, no one knows the real Gatsby. The large amount of mystery and rumors surrounding Gatsby suggests that he is hiding something. Gatsby is not changed by his wealth, but by the methods he has used to obtain it. In The Great Gatsby, there is enough evidence to safely conclude the …show more content…
Unfortunately, this caused an increase in crime in the 20’s, and a new large smuggling opportunity that many, including Gatsby, took advantage of. The way Gatsby did this was through what he called “drug stores” where he would sell over-the-counter alcohol to customers. Gatsby said he owns several of these stores, with people presumably paying more than the normal price for this illegal alcohol. However, this is not all Gatsby was doing. He was also involved in a crime syndicate with a man named Meyer Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim made Gatsby the man he is, he gave him money, a job, and a friend after the war. He put Gatsby on his feet, although it was illegal. Meyer was also where Gatsby learned how to bootleg. Wolfsheim and Gatsby are close, as they are seen getting lunch with Nick, but they are also still in constant contact throughout the book. Wolfsheim is the kind of guy you want on your side due to his connections and power, as well as his way of disappearing. Even with all his money and new wealth, Gatsby wasn’t satisfied. All he could focus on was winning back Daisy. He thought he couldn’t compete with Tom’s immense wealth from his inheritance, but