The Great Gatsby and Prohibition Laws and Speakeasies

The Great Gatsby and Prohibition Laws and Speakeasies

1. Prohibition Law Enforcement

   • Poor law enforcement
     • In Great Gatsby, Gatsby used a 'white card' to get out of a police ticket

2. Bootlegging

   • Common crime during the prohibition which involved the smuggling of alcoholic products into the US.
     • In the novel, Gatsby is suspected of bootlegging as he attends to business calls at strange hours

3. Speakeasies

   • These are illegal bars that were set up secretly during the prohibition to sell and profit from alcohol that was'bootlegged'.
     • Nick meets Meyer Wolfsheim, one of Gatsby's business partners, at a speakeasy where alcohol flows freely.

4. Crime

   • Originally put in place to reduce drinking-related crimes, the overall crime rate climbed as a result of prohibition
     • Gatsby worked in an organized crime organization, which benefited in profits from the selling of prohibited alcohol.

5. Backfire of Prohibition

   • Americans were actually drinking more during the prohibition era than they were before.
     • In Gatsby's parties, 'alcohol flowed freely' and many people got drunk and went wild in his mansion.