What Is The Role Of Prohibition In The Great Gatsby

Music blaring, lights flashing, people dancing, and the alcohol flowing; there is a mirage of sights and sounds one would encounter when they walk through the doors to one of Gatsby’s great parties. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby in the time of the roaring twenties. At this point in history, prohibition was in full swing, the speakeasies were bribing the patrol to look past their indiscretions, and the morals were starting to loosen. Gatsby kept true to the times and threw scandalous parties. He wanted the attention of his sweetheart Daisy, so the parties were extravagant and over the top to display the amount of wealth he had acquired. The major setback to Gatsby’s plan was during the five years that they were apart for the war; …show more content…
In his college years, he was a football player. He is big and strong with little care for the feelings of those around him. He married the prettiest girl in Louisiana and inherited his fortune through his parents. Tom had the ideal life for a man in the 1920s. After his college days, Tom began acquiring and breeding polo horses. Tom enjoys showing off his wealth with extravagant belongings. Tom owned slaves and believed that there was one superior race. He tried to convey his thoughts to others and get them on board. Nick was over for lunch when he mentioned the book he was reading The Rise of the Colored Empire. Tom is also very prejudiced when it comes to anybody from the East Egg, or new money, part of town. He does not believe they are worthy to be a part of society. Tom believed he was above reproach and the common decencies of …show more content…
He had just received the news that Myrtle had been hit by a yellow car, and he only knew one person that had a car with that color. Tom told Wilson the name of the owner of the car that he had been driving earlier that day. He gave that information to relieve some of the heat off of his back and to remove Gatsby from their lives. Tom knew that Wilson was unstable, but he had no way of knowing that he would kill Gatsby. After the night that Daisy killed Myrtle, Tom saw it as his chance to reassert himself. He used this as the stepping-stone of becoming vital in Daisy’s life again. This was a wake-up call for Tom. Daisy and he may be married, but that does not mean that she will not stray also. This gives Tom the edge that he needed to keep his full attention on Daisy because he did not have as tight of a hold on her as he thought he