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What Does Greed Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Decent Essays

Brandon Rota
Mrs. Morrissy
English III CP-A
23 March 2016
Corruption of the 1920’s symbolized in The Great Gatsby The novel The Great Gatsby helps generations portray what life was like in New York during the Roaring twenties and the era of Prohibition. (Moss). The Great Gatsby reflects America’s own loss of influence in the face of the crass materialism of the 1920’s (Pavolski). The 18th amendment, the people’s disregardment of morality resulting to lack of spiritual views and the vast corruption during this time period are all displayed by F. Scott Fitzgerald. During this novel color symbolism and other various types of symbolism are portrayed. The influence of money greed and fortune are also vastly displayed throughout this novel. In …show more content…

This was an age of the newly rich, there was a lot of money being spent and many companies were being brought up and established. The East was beginning to boom due to the amount of people coming to live and work. This made the demand sky rocket for alcohol. As displayed in The Great Gatsby drugs and liquor were abused during this time period which was bad but what made it even worse was the fact that it was illegal. Various illegal activities came out of the Prohibition era such as bootlegging, rum-running, and speak easies." I found out what your‘ drug-stores‘ were...He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That‘s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn‘t far wrong...That drug-store business was just small change...but you‘ve got something going on."(133, 134). Afternoon hotel-room cocktail parties became the new form of hospitality (Allen).Fitzgerald shows the character Tom Buchanan suggesting they shoukd go to a hotel room to have a drink and cool off demonstrating how common hotel cocktail parties were to the wealthy during this time period , " You follow me to the south side of Central Park , infront of the Plaza." (125). Fitzgerald uses the character Jay Gatsby from his novel to illustrate how criminals and the various illegal activities performed during this time period were so common. The authorities during this time could not keep up with the vast amount of crimes being committed, therefore it an rampid during the 1920's. Big city criminals strongly influenced Fitzgeralds novel through gambling and illegal activities

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