How did Gatsby make his money?

How did Gatsby make his money?

1 Answer

  1. The Great Gatsby is a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald which follows Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man famous for his grand, extravagant parties every Saturday night. It is based around the time of “The roaring twenties” also dubbed as “The Jazz Age” by Fitzgerald. It shows the reality behind “The  American Dream” ( the belief that hard work can lead one from rags to riches) and the hypocritical and reckless nature it can end up at. The book has also been adapted into a 2013 film by the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby.

    The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young Yale graduate from Minnesota who moves to New York to try and make it as a bond salesman. There, he ends up becoming Jay Gatsby’s neighbor. Many wonder about his wealth and where it came from since he is an unknown man who suddenly rose into the world of the wealthy. There are many rumors around his character and wealth but the real reason behind his ceaseless source of money is disclosed in the book close to the climax.

    Daisy, Nick’s cousin, invites him to lunch alongside his neighbor Gatsby, and her friend Jordan (who later becomes Nick’s girlfriend). It is then that Tom, Daisy’s husband finds out that she is having an affair with Gatsby. Upon his insistence, the group heads to New York where it is revealed that Gatsby most probably earned his wealth through bootlegging ( illegal selling of alcohol ) and other underhanded methods with Meyer Wolfsheim as his business partner. Even though, this is the most probable way the actual source is still a mystery other than the fact that it was some way illegal. Like all good books, The Great Gatsby also holds some mystery and so only hints at his income methods.

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