Effects Of Prohibition In The Great Gatsby

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While advocates of prohibition believed a ban on alcohol would lead to a more moral and lawful society, Prohibition actually had the opposite effect as indicated by the plot and the characters of The Great Gatsby. The Roaring Twenties was one of the rowdiest and most colorful times in American history. In the years leading up to Prohibition, consumption of alcohol was rampant and was perceived as the cause of negative behaviors by people. For these reasons and others, advocates of Prohibition wanted to take whatever steps were necessary to stop negative behavior. After many political battles, the 18th Amendment was enacted which banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of alcohol, and Prohibition began. Instead of creating a sober and law-abiding society, Prohibition launched an …show more content…
He is a suspicious character that viewers made assumptions about because no one knew what he specifically did to gain tremendous amounts of money. Fitzgerald briefly mentions what Gatsby does but never goes into detail. It came across that the audience assumed his work was associated with selling stolen bonds. Meyer Wolfsheim, who was Gatsby’s business associate and friend claimed to of “fixed” the 1919 World Series. Wolfsheim definitely had an influence on Gatsby’s decision and pressured him into committing illegal crimes. The extravagant parties he threw attracted people that barely knew him and were mesmerized by thousands of dollars spent on it. The parties were known for the excessive amounts of guests, lights, food, entertainment, and alcohol. Gatsby went to great efforts to create incredible parties, all to impress Daisy. While the guests were there to have a glamorous time, many of them were in broken marriages or were fighting with their spouse. No one at the party generally cared for Gatsby, they just wanted to make an appearance at a popular social