Mafia/Gangsters

In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby is portrayed as a rich man that has it all. Many wonder as to how he has attained the money. There were rumors that stated that Gatsby was a “bootlegger” and had connections with the mob. The word “mob” can also be translated as the mafia or a gang. During the 1920s because of prohibition and inconvenient commodities many produced gangs. Every major city had a leader. One of the most famous was Al Capone. He was one of the most famous because he was very intimidating and would convince speakeasy operators to get alcohol which was illegal at the time.

Al Capone was very good at this business and earned $60 million on alcohol sales. This was an enormous deal because alcohol at that time was very difficult to get and his connections with gang members lead him to that. He had many gang enemies in the city but faintly showed fear. Another link to this is the Mafia. The mafia has existed since the nineteenth century and has made an impact on many cities. It has been known to control and take over. The mafia is all about money and in some cases has created an ugly society.

In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby states that he inherited his money from his family but no one really knows and that is why he is suspected as being linked to mob activities. In a mafia family plays a huge role because the majority of the time family members are in charge of the money. The gang life and the mafia is a very dangerous business and were popular but secretive in the 1920s and many had success while others failed.



http://people.howstuffworks.com/mafia.htm
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/prohibition_and_the_gangsters.htm
http://www.bestofsicily.com/mafia.htm