Eison 1
Amir Eison
Mr.Hackett
English 3
4/10/14
Great Gatsby Paper
Al Capone once said, ‘’I am like any other man. All I do is supply a demand’’
(Brainyquote). Al Capone’s idea was in the 1920’s alcohol was illegal so he felt he was doing a
good thing by giving people what they wanted. This plays an important part in F Scott
Fitzgerald’s novel, because the main character, Jay Gatsby, felt like to be successful and a good
man he too would bootleg & sell alcohol to the people. This book is about a man named Nick
telling his story of a man named Gatsby trying to obtain his love back for Daisy after the war.
But things go a negative direction on his plan to trying to get her. Prohibition is the law put on
the people of banning alcohol. Bootlegging is the act of shipping alcohol and lastly kingpin is the
head mobster. Gatsby is a man who came from bottom to the top with his success and throughout
the book he is the love struck, secretive man who is a mobster. Al Capone is a kingpin from
Chicago who ran the mobs in the 1920’s.Gatsby and Al Capone are being connected by the
things they do to become so successful, and how they think they are not doing nothing wrong.
But helping getting the people what they want and need.
Gatsby and Al Capone show similar ways of business of supplying alcohol and drugs
illegally. A man calls Gatsby’s home after he is dead, the suspicion when Nick picks the phone
up is that he says ‘’Young Parkes’’ is in trouble. A man named Slagle says that and Nick replies
with Gatsby’s is dead... the line dies. What's happening is that something went wrong with one
of Gatsby’s deals dealing with the mob."This is Slagle speaking..." "Yes?" The name was
unfamiliar."Hell of a note, isn't it? Get my wire?" "There haven't been any wires." "Young
Parke's in trouble," he said “They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter.
Eison 2
They got a circular from New York giving em the numbers just five minutes before. What d'you
knows about that, hey? You never can tell in these hick towns..." (42). This proves Gatsby and
Al Capone both get their money illegally, with this comes with bad events like they both
experience with other rival mobs. Both Kingpins make money illegally which Nick finds out
over a phone call about a corrupt deal, just like Al Capone's tragic event ‘’valentine’s day’’
shootout which ended up in brutal killings after a corrupt deal with a rival mob.
Jay Gatsby and Al Capone also show similarity because of the poor backgrounds they
come from when they were young. Jay Gatsby has already told Nick about his mysterious truth
about his past coming from a poor family. In the story Nick talks about Gatsby’s life before
becoming rich. ‘’However glorious might be his future as Jay Gatsby, he was at present a
penniless young man without a past’’ (104). This proves my thesis because Jay Gatsby was a
poor man that migrated to the east for a better life and was adopted by the rich lifestyle.
Following he got his money from a mob he joined by the side of Wolfsheim a bootlegging king
pin. This compares to Al Capone because he came from a poor family in Italy that migrated to
America for the mob to start and make money supplying illegal alcohol to the people.
Jay Gatsby and Al Capone were both similar in many ways in such as the way they
supply to the people. Nick who lives near Gatsby witness’s parties he throws, he tells us how
luxurious and accompanied the parties were and how people loved them. ‘In his blue gardens
men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and champagne and the stars’’
(39). This proves my thesis because Gatsby shared champagne to the people which they loved
and parties that bring excitement. By this Gatsby thought that supplying to the people was
always bringing positive effects to society. This compares to Al Capone because with all the
money he made from bootlegging he opened up soup kitchens for the poor and gave people jobs
Eison 3
during the great depression also paid people good sums who worked for him. Something like
Gatsby his supplying made people happy and took them away from their troublesome times.
To conclude, Gatsby and Al Capone are being connected by the things they do to become
successful and how they think they are not doing nothing wrong, but helping getting the people
what they want and need. Gatsby being compared to Al Capone symbolizes both showed
positive energy and was well respected by those who were under them. Believed to be Al
Capone and Gatsby shows obvious similarities and are being compared to one another. This text
is important because this brings out huge connections between real life figures and fictional
characters, making them seem real like Gatsby. That’s why Al Capone and Gatsby are being
compared by F. Scott Fitzgerald and they way they supply for the people and themselves
thinking they are doing good deeds.