Corruption for Wealth - An Essay on The Great Gatsby

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Jay Gatsby, a symbol of wealth, power, and prosperity. The epitome of the superficial lifestyle that seemingly everyone was a part of in the 1920s before the Great Crash struck the nation. He threw lavish parties open for anyone to drop by and enjoy. Gold surrounded his being, a symbol for extravagant spending and wealth in the novel. Jay Gatsby claimed to have come into money from events in his life that many found hard to believe, so a reader must ask, “how exactly did this man actually obtain his wealth?” The time of his reign was during the Prohibition Era, and anyone alive during this time knew that the fastest way to get money was through the illegal smuggling of alcohol.

Gatsby’s past is a bit fuzzy and much up to interpretation in regards to Daisy Buchanan. It is assumed that Jay was in love with her, and in the past could not keep her due to being destitute. Love influences many a character to do even the craziest things, and Gatsby was determined to get to Daisy. In this time period, crime was the easiest way to obtain money quickly. Although Gatsby never says he was involved in illegal activity, a reader can make that inference based on his past relationship with Meyer Wolfsheim, who not only fixed the World Series , but is a symbol of crime and corruption (Chapter 4). Gatsby seems to know this character well, which leads one to be suspicious to the nature of their acquaintance.

Another bit of evidence that could possibly point toward illegal activity as a source of Gatsby’s wealth, is that at every single one of his lavish parties , alcohol is always provided (Chapter 3). This would be illegal at this time again, due to the Prohibition Era, yet Gatsby seems to obtain the illegal substance with ease, and doesn’t even seem to bat an eye about it. Some may even make the inference that people only flock to Gatsby due to the easy access they have to alcohol.

Gatsby’s ties to major players in crime and his ability to easily access an illegal substance, in addition to the outlandish nature of his stories, would lead a reader to believe that he possibly took the easy path and became involved in illegal activity to obtain the funds needed to attract the attention of his true love, Daisy. Gatsby knew that to gain her attention while she was still available to him, he would have to gain wealth quickly, and in the 1920s, crime was the answer. Although it is unknown that Gatsby ever physically harmed or killed anyone, it is probable that he did get into the business of smuggling alcohol, and even more probable that he was taught, or in cahoots with, Meyer Wolfsheim. The novel’s biggest theme ties into the superficiality and corruption that reigned over the Continental United States in the 1920s, and it only makes logical sense that the biggest influencing character of the story would fit in with this theme in one way or another. On the outside, Jay Gatsby was a generous and well-off, successful man, but just as the world was around him, he was corrupted, however, unlike the world around him, Jay Gatsby was corrupted by love.

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