Theme Of Prohibition In The Great Gatsby

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The 1920s, an era full of ‘rich vs. poor’ parties, jazz music, bootlegging and prohibition. Prohibition was the 18th amendment passed to illegalize the purchase, distribution, and consumption of alcohol. Seeming like a good idea at first, the law only lasted 13 years from 1920 to 1993. The act of prohibition heavily influenced the acts of the main characters in The Great Gatsby because of their reputation of partying and bootlegging. Throughout the entire novel, there are little references made about the ban on booze. In chapter 7, Tom is outing Gatsby about his side business with Meyer Wolfshiem. He says “I found out what you ‘drug-stores’ were…He and Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street …show more content…
Every weekend consisted of a wild party with many notable guests, most of which who were uninvited, and plenty of alcohol to last for days. “They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island, and somehow they ended up at Gatsby’s door. Once they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby, and after that they conducted themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with an amusement park.” Pg.41 (Fitzgerald, Scott F, The Great Gatsby, Scribner, 2004, print) The parties Gatsby’s manor were so popular because he was providing his guests with alcohol, which was prohibited at the time. When people aren’t allowed to have something, they tend to want it more, and Gatsby was able to give them just what they wanted. Being involved in such risky affairs, this also lead to more events associated with organized crime which was more of Meyer Wolfshiem’s end of the business. This new craze opened up a lot of opportunities for black market deals and trades along with gangsters monopolizing the industry. As Al Capone said “All I do is to supply a public demand…somebody had to throw some alcohol on that thirst. Why not me?” (Hales&Kazmers, Taylor&Nikolas. “organized crime- how it was changed by prohibition. WEB) Both Prohibition and organized crime go hand and hand both in The Great Gatsby and in history. The main reason for prohibition was to “to suggest that America’s future might include happier families, fewer industrial accidents and a superior moral tone.” (Anderson, Lisa. “prohibition and its effects”. NYC, NY. The Gilder Lehrman.
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