How Did Gatsby Become A Millionaire?

What would you do if over night, your neighbor suddenly became a millionaire? Out of nowhere, he has a great fortune. No job, no inheritances, or good explanations. It must be something illegal. It has to be. With the passing of the 18th Amendment, the United States government brought forth a time period known as Prohibition. During this time period, the sale, transportation and consumption of alcohol became illegal. Jay Gatsby, a new money man, made his fortune selling illegal alcohol out of the numerous drug stores that he opened. 
 With the start of Prohibition, a sudden rise in crime occurred. Much of the crime was in direct relation to the illegal sale of alcohol. The rising demand for alcohol became an interesting business proposition
Tori Avey, a writer for PBS, wrote “the government unwittingly made it more desirable, more fashionable, and something eager consumers had to get their hands on,”. This quote provides further evidence that shows the want for alcohol created an illegal marketplace and boosted popularity if you were daring enough to obtain it. Jay Gatsby also used alcohol to gain riches out of desperation to throw huge parties at his mansion on Long Island to impress his crush, Daisy Buchanan. Tori Avey also wrote in her article “Gatsby devotes his life to accumulating riches in order to attract the attention of romantic obsession, the lovely but spoiled, Daisy Buchanan”. The purpose of this quote is to prove that Jay Gatsby was so eager to impress Daisy that he went to great illegal lengths to gain fortune.
 During the 1920’s, a relatively easy way of obtaining alcohol legally was by getting a prescription for it. Doctors all over the country were paid high dollar to prescribe “medicinal alcohol” to patients for many illnesses including alcoholism. A medicine containing high amounts of alcohol became very popular throughout the nation. Jay Gatsby used this opportunity to open up a series of drug stores where he specialized in selling this