Impact of Prohibition in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, provides a reflection on the societal issues and attitudes of a modernist, post-war era. The “Roaring Twenties” was an age of prosperity, consumerism and liberalism that led to unprecedented economic growth and significant changes in culture and lifestyle. The right to vote redefined women’s roles and gave rise to a “new breed” known as the flapper, that drank, wore excessive makeup, and flaunted her disdain for conventionalism. The introduction of prohibition led to an increased demand for black market alcohol and bootlegging, thereby providing a financial basis for organized crime. Despite the progression, the 1920s was an era of social tensions

In any great novel, an understanding of the era in which the story is set can lead to a deeper appreciation of the author’s themes and characters. For example, the themes that preoccupied F. Scott Fitzgerald, issues of social class, the dynamics of prohibition, and the culture of excessive consumption, would be difficult to convey on their own. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the social, political, and moral environment of America in the 1920s sheds greater light on the otherwise complex forces that drive the characters in The Great Gatsby.

What made the twenties roar? Most people would have said it was the wild parties with the mass amounts of alcohol as shown in the popular book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although half of that is true, alcohol was not a legal part of the twenties due to the prohibition of alcohol that lasted from 1920 until 1933. The prohibition of alcohol was a huge factor in which both made and broke the 1920’s, and it has been concluded that it was neither a success nor a failure in the making of American history.

For America, the 1920’s was a time of economic prosperity, and political and social changes. The growth of cities, consumer buying, and fashion changes were some of the key changes and developments during this time. Everyone wanted to achieve the American Dream. They were to achieve this dream no matter what they had to go through, whether it be illegal or not. The Temperance Movement took place during this era and many citizens were upset with the government and disagreed with the prohibition. The Temperance Movement was the prohibition of alcohol by the government. It banned the buying, selling and the consumption of any type of alcohol. Many women began to abandon the long and conservative dresses; They wore short, revealing dresses with long necklaces and they had the classic bobbed hairstyle. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is about the relationships between the main characters: Nick Carraway, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby. It is set in New York during the “Roaring 20s”. The Great Gatsby incorporated the aspects of the 1920s by including the effects of the idea of American Dream, the rich and careless lives of its citizens during the Temperance movements and the emergence of women’s more sexual and independent in society.

One of the major things that happened in the 1920s was the ratification of the the 18th amendment. The 18th amendment established the prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the United States by declaring the production, transport, and sale of alcohol illegal. There was a couple of positive effects

The Roaring Twenties were a time of leisure and parties. The media and events surrounding this time period greatly impacted the carefree, extravagant lifestyle. This era was one of the most dramatic and energetic times in American history. To many, the symbols of the roaring Twenties were F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, due to their tales of the young and the wealthy (Hanson 96). The Roaring Twenties influenced many literary works, throughout the 1920s such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise.

At the start of the 1920, prohibition was introduced into the states to help/increase the economy at the start. However, after a couple years went by, the economy started to head downhill and eventually into the Great Depression. What caused everything you got downhill was the 18 amendment, which was the ban of alcoholic beverages. Even though prohibition caused the US economic depression was it still worth it. After ten years of the Great Depression the US was booming and flourishing again as it once did.

The Great Gatsby takes place in 1922 during the time of prohibition.In the book gatsby had extravagant parties with drinks galore but this was not as simple as it seemed during the time. This was a time where alcohol was made to be illegal by Prohibition, which took place between 1920 to 1933.This movement started at the end of the war with the goal to save grain used for beer for the war. The legal status of alcohol changed January of 1920 when President woodrow Wilson passed the eighteenth amendment.

The roaring 20’s was an era where people did whatever they wanted. It was a time of rebels and most importantly it was a time of crime. During the 1920’s alcohol was in demand, and the reason for this was the prohibition of the substance. Prohibition in the United States caused illegal business between the people of the 1920’s making the 18st Amendment useless, it brought about bootleggers, speakeasies, and this is clearly shown in The Great Gatsby when Gatsby himself is a part of the distribution of illegal alcohol.

The 1920s gained its nickname, The Roaring Twenties from its wild and carefree lifestyle. The extensive wealth of the time filled most nights with parties, dancing, crazy antics, and illegal alcohol. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, encompassed all of the aspects listed above. Not only did the book express the exciting side of the Twenties, it also expressed lack of morality of the time. According to The Great Gatsby, this lack of morality stemmed from the focus on material items, drinking, and dreaming.

With its increase in organized crime, notorious icons, and unhealthy lifestyle, the Era of Prohibition represented the Roaring Twenties which F. Scott Fitzgerald vividly portrayed in The Great Gatsby.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920’s. The twenties had a lot going on that was great for some people and not for others. The roaring twenties was a time of prohibition and large criminal activity. It also was a great time for the economy because there were more jobs for men who just came out of the war. Women of this time period wore shorter dresses, cut their hair, smoked, swore and were given the right to vote. People spent their money carelessly and partied hard. Others fought for their rights, African Americans had to fight for their right to move into northern cities because people were threatened by other races and their cultures.

In the nineteen twenties the world was changing from the recent end of World War One and the evolving economic landscape. Nineteen twenties America was a rapidly changing social landscape with the emerging of flappers, organized crime, and the unequal distribution of wealth. F. Scott Fitzgerald was an author who wrote many important books during the early nineteenth century. One of these books was The Great Gatsby that focused on the mode of living in the nineteen twenties. The mode of life in the nineteen twenties revolved around declining morals, increasing organized crime, and new technology New technology allowed people to move farther from their jobs, have more leisure time, and to be united in a new American society.

Considered as the defining work of the 1920s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925, when America was just coming out of one of the most violent wars in the nation’s history. World War 1 had taken the lives of many young people who fought and sacrificed for our country on another continent. The war left many families without fathers, sons, and husbands. The 1920s is an era filled with rich and dazzling history, where Americans experienced changes in lifestyle from music to rebellion against the United States government. Those that are born into that era grew up in a more carefree, extravagant environment that would affect their interactions with others as well as their attitudes about themselves and societal

On first glance, The Great Gatsby is about a romance between Gatsby and Daisy. The true theme behind this wonderful novel is not merely romance, but is also a very skeptical view of the extinction of the American dream in the prosperous 19s. This loss of the American dream is shown by Fitzgerald's display of this decade as a morally deficient one. He shows its incredible decadence in Gatsby's lavish and ostentatious parties. This materialistic attitude toward life came from the disillusionment of the younger generation of the old Victorian values. Also, with Prohibition in effect, illegal bootlegging practices made for yet another way for Americans to fall down the path of