When Nick Carraway meets the mysterious Jay Gatsby, he is immediately intrigued by this new friend. He learns that Gatsby has made his money in a variety of different ways, some legitimate and some not so much.
In the 1920s, a large number of people from all over the world were eager to get in on what seemed like a sure bet. The progressive economic growth of America meant a healthy market for stocks and the stock market was booming.
It was a good time to be an investor, and it seemed like anyone could make some money off this new invention called the “stock market.” However, not everyone who tried became wealthy. He is consistently looking for a sense of the American Dream which can never be obtained.
And one thing that separates Gatsby from the rest, the source of his wealth? Money. How did Gatsby earn his money? What led to him being wealthy even with all the lavish parties and the search for the Dream?
Gatsby’s Story
James Gatz was born in North Dakota around 1890. He was born into a poor family who ran a ranch. While intelligent, he dropped out of St. Olaf Minnesota College merely because he hated the studies.
The family then relocated to Chicago where his father took on a job that required him to work on Saturdays, limiting their income. Lake Superior has seen in the summer of 1907. He met a copper industry bigwig Dan Cody who turned into his mentor.
Gatz soon changed his name to Jay Gatsby. Gatz was born in 1873 to a poor family in Illinois. The summer of 1907 saw Gatz in Lake Superior. He met a copper industry bigwig Dan Cody who turned into his mentor.
You believe it or not that’s, He went to war and came back a major in the US’s sixteenth Infantry Regiment. Despite appearing as a wealthy man, he was actually just a soldier living off his ‘previous life’ as he tells Nick.
The story of James Gatz isn’t too different from other stories about soldiers coming back from war. Except for the ending.
How Did Gatsby Make Money?
Many people are aware that Gatsby was filthy rich, but it is unknown where he got his money. Many have questioned the origins of this because in the 1920s it was rare to have so much money.
The truth is, Gatsby made his money illegally by bootlegging alcohol. He eventually got caught and went to jail for five years. The protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man who has somehow amassed his wealth by dubious means.
Yet, one thing that remains abundantly clear throughout the novel is that Gatsby’s money cannot be rightfully obtained. Throughout the novel, Tom Buchanan continuously points out to Gatsby that he has made his fortune through shady deals with known criminals such as Wolfsheim.
Many critics have claimed that Gatsby made his money by dealing in counterfeit stocks too. This is a stunning revelation for some, but not for others who have long suspected that Gatsby used illegal activities to gain wealth.
Some of the clues are easy to spot if readers keep their eyes peeled while reading his story. For instance, many of the business tycoons Gatsby associated with had shady pasts themselves.
Did Gatsby Inherit Any Money?
You might wonder if a man with a chateau and an extravagant lifestyle inherited at least some portion of his money. Nick wonders the same thing when Gatsby makes an off-handed mention about an inheritance.
Gatsby tells Nick he received this money from his father but does not give any details. He only mentions that it was left to him in a will and that “it did something” for him.
Did Gatsby inherit any money? Seems like when Dan Cody died, he left Gatsby $25,000. However, Cody’s mistress cheated Gatsby off his inheritance. The legitimacy of the will used to be questioned due to its proximity to the mistress.
In one passage, Tom Buchanan makes this assumption explicitly: “To hear all these hard-boiled eggs talking about drawing-room comedy was too much for me.
How did Gatsby die?
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby” was written in 1925. The author died 10 years later, at the age of 44, without revealing how his central character died. There are many theories that surround Gatsby’s death.
One theory is that he killed himself to escape the pain of the world around him. Another states that he was assassinated by an unknown assailant through a series of events. However, throughout the book, there is evidence that foreshadows his tragic end.
The first hint comes from Gatsby’s own words when he says “the man who gets up at six and goes to bed at ten lives longer than the man who gets up at eleven and looks in at three.
Endnotes
Nick is the narrator of Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” He begins the story by introducing himself and then tells the reader that he was able to say goodbye to Tom Buchanan for one last time before he leaves for Europe.
He soon discovers that Tom has died in an accident while Nick was away, leaving him saddened yet relieved of his obligation. “I hadn’t seen old Tom since that accidental meeting in New York six months before.
The story, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about a young man in the 1920s who thought he could find himself through money and material things.
Jay Gatsby made his money by selling alcohol over the counter in drugstores during Prohibition. Moreover, the mad cash off counterfeit stocks too. But it all blew up in his face when he lost his girl Daisy to another man, Jordan Baker.
Read:
