The Great Gatsby Interpretation Essay
Fitzgerald’s Interpretation of the 1920’s through The Great Gatsby
Given all of the crimes that were committed in the 1920’s, why does Fitzgerald focus his attention so much on prohibition and gender roles? The era of the 1920’s was a time of prosperity and corruption throughout society. Some wealth was gained through honest work while other wealth was earned through greed, organized crime, and other illegal acts. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he displays multiple accounts of prohibition, gender roles and organized crime and shows how they were present in everyday life.
The 18th amendment passed in 1920, banned the manufacturing transportation and selling of drinking alcohol throughout the U.S., which was the start of Prohibition. …show more content…
Organized crime in short is the planning and carrying out of illegal activities. During the 1920’s, organized crime was the making and selling of alcohol illegally. These illegal activities called for much violence due to the greed for money.
In The Great Gatsby, there are multiple accounts of organized crime. For example, Wolfsheim lets Nick into the harsh world of crime by telling about his earlier exchange, “I said..alright Katspaugh, don’t pay him a penny till he shuts his mouth. He shut it then and there.” This shows the violence and intimidation that comes with bootlegging. Another example is when Gatsby talks to Nick about his job, “Well, this would interest you. It wouldn't take up much of your time. And you might pick up a nice bit of money. It happens to be a rather confidential thing” (Fitzgerald).
Gender roles in the 1920’s were challenged after the ratification of the 18th and 19th amendments to the constitution in 1918-1919 and it brought about the successful women's movements of the 19th century. It also marked a period of new freedom for women in America’s modernizing culture. Women promoted education to teach women about sex and sexuality in order to allow them to seize greater control of their own lives and bodies
Given all of the crimes that were committed in the 1920’s, why does Fitzgerald focus his attention so much on prohibition and gender roles? The era of the 1920’s was a time of prosperity and corruption throughout society. Some wealth was gained through honest work while other wealth was earned through greed, organized crime, and other illegal acts. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he displays multiple accounts of prohibition, gender roles and organized crime and shows how they were present in everyday life.
The 18th amendment passed in 1920, banned the manufacturing transportation and selling of drinking alcohol throughout the U.S., which was the start of Prohibition. …show more content…
Organized crime in short is the planning and carrying out of illegal activities. During the 1920’s, organized crime was the making and selling of alcohol illegally. These illegal activities called for much violence due to the greed for money.
In The Great Gatsby, there are multiple accounts of organized crime. For example, Wolfsheim lets Nick into the harsh world of crime by telling about his earlier exchange, “I said..alright Katspaugh, don’t pay him a penny till he shuts his mouth. He shut it then and there.” This shows the violence and intimidation that comes with bootlegging. Another example is when Gatsby talks to Nick about his job, “Well, this would interest you. It wouldn't take up much of your time. And you might pick up a nice bit of money. It happens to be a rather confidential thing” (Fitzgerald).
Gender roles in the 1920’s were challenged after the ratification of the 18th and 19th amendments to the constitution in 1918-1919 and it brought about the successful women's movements of the 19th century. It also marked a period of new freedom for women in America’s modernizing culture. Women promoted education to teach women about sex and sexuality in order to allow them to seize greater control of their own lives and bodies