When I read the scene about Nick and Gatsby’s luncheon in New York with the shady Wolfshiem, I instantly thought about how Wolfshiem and Gatsby’s whole dodgy enterprise is connected to the bootleggers, rum-runners, political machines, organized crime, and flat-out corruption very characteristic of the Jazz Age and the “roarin’ twenties” in general. In my AP United States History class, we are currently studying the late nineteenth century where the unprecedented growth of industry and capitalism went unchecked at the time and thus stimulated greed and corruption from most of the industrialists and tycoons, or “robber barons” as they are better known. By definition a “robber baron” is a very wealthy person who attains their wealth by unethical means. Technically, Gatsby would be considered a “robber baron” being that he amassed his fortune through bootlegging. “For Gatsby, who throws the most sumptuous parties of all and who seems richer than anyone else, to have ties to the world of bootleg alcohol would only make him a more perfect symbol of the strange combination of moral decadence and vibrant optimism that Fitzgerald portrays as the spirit of 1920s America” ("Sparknotes.com").
Works Cited
"The Great Gatsby." Sparknotes.com n. pag. Web. 12 Jan 2011.
I love the text connection from APUSH :) I can totally see Mr. Gatsby as an perfect example of a robber baron. The timelines match up so I wouldn't be surprised if this was what he was classified as back then. This goes to show that Fitzgerald did an excellent job in capturing the heart and the soul of his characters during this time. Gatsby's rather "questionable" ways flow seamless through the time period.
ReplyDeleteNice catch there! Though I can't quite remember where, Fitzgerald also incorporates another robber baron in the novel. John Pierpont Morgan one of the more prominent industrialist during the Gilded Age. To this day regarded as one of the most influential financiers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great text conection!I totally see how Gatsby fits the definition of the time period's "Robber Baron." I think it is so interesting to see the "Robber Baron" through a different light. In this novel one comes to know and love Gatsby despite his "bootlegging", where when I think back to the "Robber Barons" in history class they are made out to be selfish and power hungry.(I guess some might say Gatsby is...)
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