Arnold Rothstein

organized crime rose to unparalleled heights, and related corruption and violence rose steadily. For example, in 1919, Arnold Rothstein famously persuaded the Chicago White Sox into throwing the World Series. This lead to the eight players involved inevitable banning and a forever tarnished reputation for the players in the sport (“Seabury”). Arnold Rothstein also participated in many other illegal and illicit practices such as a multi-million dollar drug smuggling ring (“Seabury”).Ordinary businessmen during these times found it much harder to run a legitimate business because of the constant corruption of the economy. Another example of the corruption that Organized Crime caused is the violence and killings that sprouted up in the 1920s (“Dark”). For instance, during the “Valentine’s Day Massacre”, the intended target “Bugs” Moran, was saved simply because he was late for a meeting (Wilker 39). Due to the massacre, the majority of the public opened their eyes to the violence that organized crime was causing. Despite all of law enforcement 's efforts during this time, organized crime took an important toll on life and violence of the time. Organized crime is an obvious topic in The Great Gatsby, portrayed by the character Meyer Wolfsheim, who is the fictional version of Arnold Rothstein, and they both represent the violence and manipulation of the success of many. Meyer Wolfsheim represents the…

Nick that he once did the commissioner a favor and now he gets a Christmas card every year. This shows that Gatsby had done something for the Police Commissioner and now he is exempt from the law. Another big source of money from organized crime would be gambling. The most infamous example of this would be the fixing of the 1919 World Series. There were many notorious people involved in organized crime during the prohibition era. One of the most famous would be Arnold Rothstein. Arnold…

meant that if a member of the family was murdered by another member, nobody was authorized to avenge him without the approval of the boss and the godfather. Fifth, there was to be no fighting among members. Sixth, it was necessary to pay tribute to the boss every month by giving a part of the profits to him. Seventh, the members were not authorized to commit adultery with the wives of other members. Eighth and final, there was to be no facial hair, so beards and mustaches were forbidden. 3)…

dream of being with Daisy; though through this illegitimate means, he prevented himself from ever seeing his dream bear fruit. (Hays 6) Another way the novel is tied to organized crime is the way the character Wolfsheim was inspired by a real man who fixed the 1919 world series. This adds a sort of really strong life comparison, one that was especially relevant and fresh in the minds of his readers at the time of the publication of The Great Gatsby. Wolfsheim is inspired by the real man who…

in a secret room, house, or a speakeasy! His parties are huge and most of the public knows about it. On top of that, Gatsby is actually considered as a bootlegger because his phone always rings making deals with other people on this matter. Another thing that happened during this time was the Black Box Scandal in the 1920s. Arnold Rothstein started to be attracted to the criminal life while hanging out at pool halls. He opened a casino in Manhattan and he made a lot of money and this led him…

of Chicago. Edith was rather boyish in her clothing, this more than likely was because, like Jordan, “Cummings pursued tournament golf where she would earn the nickname "the Fairway Flapper". There is no actual evidence of Jordan’s cheating to be something stringed from Cummings though. Furthermore, sources also state that coupled with being a counterpart of Edith Cummings, Jordan Baker symbolically represents the stereotype of the new age woman, the Flapper. Another reason to come to this…

like Daisy did not know he was corrupt. Gatsby was a self- made man who was successful financially and socially. However, he is different than the other newly rich people because he didn’t earn his money the honorable way. Gatsby replaced the values of hard work with bootlegging in which he made millions. In doing this Gatsby met a gambler, Meyer Wolfsheim, who was the criminal that fixed the 1919 World Series. When Nick asked Gatsby why he was not in jail, Gatsby responded, “they can’t get him,…

Gatsby’s charm and luxury would have vanished and the story would have been bland. In addition, the increase in crime during the 1920’s also influenced Fitzgerald's writing as well. The increase in crime occurred as part of the effect of the prohibition. Characters such as, Jay Gatsby and Meyer Wolfsheim depicted the real life bootleggers of the “Golden Age”. The bootleggers major goal was to make profit from their smuggling’s. Not only was Gatsby a bootlegger, but he also paid off the police…

Manhattan is the perfect example of this. The first time the reader goes to Manhattan they are reading about Tom’s affair with his mistress, Myrtle (Fitzgerald 30) and how they and Nick all become intoxicated to the point that the story becomes unclear and spotty at best. On the second visit to Manhattan, the reader then joins Nick in meeting Meyer Wolfsheim, a notorious gangster in The Great Gatsby who fixed the 1919 World Series and sells illegal alcohol (Fitzgerald 78). Fitzgerald creates…

but was key in the 1920 's. It has played roles in books, movies and television shows including The Great Gatsby. In this novel there is one character in particular who is involved in organized crime and that is Meir Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim is not someone you would necessarily want to be around all of the time, he is a friendly man but he is a Jewish gambler who apparently fixed the 1919. Most importantly he is the "business partner" of Jay Gatsby, which makes people wonder, "Did Jay get some of…