prohibition

context behind the movement

•The Prohibition era was the period from 1920 to 1933 when the United States prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages.

•Led by Pietistic Protestants, prohibitionists first attempted to end the trade in alcoholic drinks during the 19th century. They aimed to heal what they saw as an ill society beset by alcohol-related problems such as alcoholism, domestic violence, and saloon-based political corruption.

•Americans who wanted to continue drinking alcohol found loopholes in Prohibition laws or used illegal methods to obtain alcohol, resulting in the emergence of black markets and crime syndicates dedicated to distributing alcohol.

By 1925, there were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasy clubs (illegal drinking establishments) in New York City.

relevance in GG

•Gatsby is the kingpin of an alcohol smuggling ring and gives his products in excess in his parties, linking 'new money' with moral corruption.

•While the characters are openly drinking, Nick's disapproval highlights the moral inconsistency and underlying corruption that Prohibition failed to address as well as Nick's position as an unreliable narrator.

•At the end chapter 3, the driver of the crashed car is heavily inebriated which connects prohibition (and the failure of it) to show the carelessness of the rich.

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