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The Role Of Prohibition In The Great Gatsby

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The Role Of Prohibition In The Great Gatsby
Gatsby Essay In the 1920s the time when “The Great Gatsby” story is told, in that time there was prohibition for alcoholic beverages. It was a nationwide ban on the sale, production, import, and transport of alcohol.
The effects of that ban, were that people would still buy alcohol just in secret places where they brought illegal alcohol or places, that for example in the novel we have the explanation how Gatsby got his fortune. He worked with Wolfsheim, an illegal alcohol seller. In fact, alcohol prohibition is one of the main reasons of the story.
In the book if it wasn’t for alcohol then none of the characters would have met each other or have done the things that they did without the prohibition. The whole plot is intimately tied to the prohibition of alcohol accomplished by the 18th amendment of the constitution. In particular, many aspects of the plot are driven by the black market that developed in 1920s. …show more content…
Illegal producers known as moonshiners sold their illegal product to illegal distributors known as bootleggers, who in turn sold it to illegal retail establishments known as speakeasies. That’s how Gatsby got his fortune by selling illegal alcohol. During prohibition, doctors could prescribe “medical liquor” for their patients for dozens of ailments, including alcoholism. Gatsby sees this as an opportunity and establishes a chain of drugstores with the help of organized crime and corrupt politicians. If it wasn’t for the prohibition then Gatsby wouldn’t be able to get his fortune by selling illegal alcohol, and if it wasn’t for that Gatsby couldn’t afford that huge mansion across the bay right in front of Daisy’s house and also if it wasn’t for the ban Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby would never met at all thanks to the
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