Alcoholism In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The 1920s was a time when women were first getting their right to vote, alcohol was more popular than ever, and money was the main factor in dividing the different social classes. Basically, it wasn’t that much different from today. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, was set 94 years ago in the summer of 1922. Fitzgerald’s book was a social commentary that critiqued the 1920s. In the book, Fitzgerald illustrates the 1920s as a chaotic series of parties, which were attended by people with rather questionable morals. Today, the book is read by high school English classes all across the nation. One might think that reading this book would make the reader consider the consequences of the carelessness which was at the forefront …show more content…
The consumption and popularity of alcohol rocketed in the 1920s during prohibition. Although alcohol is only mentioned once by name in The Great Gatsby, it can be assumed that it was consumed throughout various parts of the book. With the economic boom that took place around the 1920s became an entire decade of excess with the motto: the more the better. The appeal of alcohol was probably strengthened by the scenarios that came with it. Drinking was a social event. In the second chapter of The Great Gatsby, Nick goes along with Tom to spend a day with Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, her sister, and this random couple. “After the first drink Mrs. Wilson and I called each other by our first names,” (Fitzgerald, 33). The movie shows this scene as being wild and Nick seems to drunk to even know what’s going on. In addition to this scene, the movie portrayed alcohol at Gatsby’s elaborate parties, during other meetings, and in the speakeasies. Even though the consumption of alcohol was illegal, it was obviously worth breaking the law to have it. Alcohol ended up making a come back when the eighteenth amendment was repealed in