Uprise In The Great Gatsby

Changes Sparked an Uprise

Between World War I and World War II was a time known for flappers, Prohibition, and new inventions, and new ways to earn money. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby helps illustrate numerous unavoidable societal changes, such as the increased wealth gap between the upper and lower classes, new technological advances, and the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment. The Great Gatsby took place during the 1920s, The 1920s was a time of dramatic change, innovations, and political revolutions, all which sparked an uprise in society. The Great Gatsby began when the middle class narrator, Nick Carraway moved next door to infamous Jay Gatsby in West Egg, outside of New York City. To the community, Gatsby is known for both his substantial wealth and lavish parties, but people are unsure of how he had gained his wealth, which caused him to become the center of rumors around Long Island. According to History.com, “the nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929” (Roaring Twenties). In regards to his money, one woman claimed,

According to History.com Prohibition banned any manufacture, transport or sale of alcohol (Prohibition). The United States became as a dry country, but countless people across the United States continued to illegally buy and sell alcohol. The sale of alcohol continued throughout the United States and in The Great Gatsby. Gatsby, along with his partner, Meyer Wolfsheim were known as “bootleggers”. According to Dictionary.com, a bootlegging is, “to deal in (liquor or other goods) unlawfully” (Dictionary). Gatsby had taken Carraway to a lunch, where Carraway had learned of Wolfsheim’s other criminal actions, such as his fixing of the 1919 World Series (73). The Eighteenth Amendment was passed to limit crime. The United States was unable to prevent people from consuming alcohol, although the law posed a new change to