The 1920s was a decade where many crimes took place in America. Many people felt the need to get involved in organized crime due to restrictions in place at the time, such as Prohibition. People usually committed crimes to achieve a personal goal. There are many cases of specific people, or even characters, famous for their involvement in organized crime in the 1920s. One such character was Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, may even have based this character on one of the most notorious organized criminals of the era. Jay Gatsby gets involved in crime to try to win the love of his life, whom he left five years ago. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the negative aspects of the 1920s, including organized crime, to prove that Jay Gatsby's dream was not even possible because he pursued it through immoral means. Some people felt the need to get involved in organized crime. because of the laws that were in force at that time. According to Bob Batchelor in Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel, the Eighteenth Amendment was passed in January 1919. This law made it illegal to manufacture, transport, import, or sell alcohol in the United States . Also known as Prohibition, this measure led many people to become involved in organized crime. Batchelor goes on to say that people involved in these crimes like making or selling alcohol were called bootleggers, Jay Gatsby being an example (Batchelor 157). Just because there was a law against alcohol didn't mean people drank it. Despite the amendment that attempted to ban alcohol in the United States, people still found ways... middle of paper...... again. The reader discovers that his American dream is not possible because he never realized the difference between his money and Daisy's. Daisy has moved on and doesn't want to get involved with someone who made her money illegally. Hard work pays off, and one can achieve one's goals if done in the right way, as in the case of Nick Carraway.Works CitedBatchelor, Bob. Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. Print. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Collier Books, 1991. Print. Lehan, Richard. The Great Gatsby: the limits of wonder. Boston: Twane Publishers, 1990. Print. Pauly, Thomas H. Readings on The Great Gatsby. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1998. Print. Wyly, Michael J. Understanding The Great Gatsby. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 2002. Print.