Can You Get Rich Using Gatsby’s Methods?
All of us are well familiar with “The Great Gatsby” and his rich lifestyle. To have such a lavish and luxurious lifestyle in the current era, you’ll definitely need tonnes of cash in your bank account. However, if you want to follow Gatsby’s lifestyle, why not follow his ways of earning as well?
The question being asked here is that whether or not Gatsby’s money methods are still valid? Let’s look for answers. Well to some extent they are if you’re willing to go as far as him. There hasn’t been an exact indication of how Gatsby earned his money throughout the story. Yet the most commonly heard rumour that made sense is that Gatsby acquired all the money and luxuries through illegal means. Bootlegging was the term used on some occasions to be specific.
Bootlegging:
Bootlegging is a term that refers to the illegal selling of drugs, mainly alcohol. It indicates towards illegal transportation, manufacture or consumption of liquor goods. The concept first came into being when Americans understood about putting liquor into cans and started the business with the Indians. This was back in 1885.
In the years 1920 to 1933, the United States had imposed a ban on transportation of alcohol through the 18th Amendment in their constitution. In those years, this kind of smuggling got riskier and that’s when it started to pay more than ever. Gatsby, however, took the advantage and made his network stronger in the bootlegging market. He also owned a chain of illegal drug stores in disguise of pharmacies according to daisy in the novel.
Bootlegging in the Current Era:
Bootlegging is a term that has gone almost extinct. You can only find it in history books or novels these days. The reason behind this is almost a 100 years that stand between the two eras. There was a window of opportunity that Gatsby saw at that time and took it.
People wanted alcohol desperately and Gatsby gave brought it to them while they were willing to pay any price for it. However, there are many reasons why this idea cannot be used for getting rich in our era. A few of those reasons are:
- Strict alcohol laws.
- Stronger border control.
- Easy availability of liquor.
- Other drugs coming into play.
Similar Options:
There are various other options based on the same plot as Gatsby’s if you want to get rich like him. Alcohol trafficking may be out of fashion in our time but there’s still plenty of illegal work transport work which pays loads of money.
Bootlegging led to the birth of organised crime in the USA, which is still present. At that time distributing liquor was difficult that’s why it paid more. These days distributing other drugs like opium or marijuana is treated more strictly by the security agencies, so that’s where the cash is.
A few recommended options to get filthy rich from businesses like these are:
Nightclubs:
these are a gift of the current era. Running a nightclub allows you access to various other similar fields. This can go from drug supplies to prostitution. All illegal activity these days is done behind covers like Nightclubs or regular looking pubs.
Weapons:
in case you want to take your reputation to the next level, selling weapons is another option. By this, I do not mean that you’ll have to sell regular equipment to people on the street. Real money can only be made if you go big. Transportation of weapons is something that paid for Gatsby and it can still pay for you.
The article was prepared by StudyFaq writer Mike Gallivan, who works on Great Gatsby essay outline platform.