American Literature

The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)

This collection uses primary sources to explore F. Scott Fitzgerald&#39;s novel, The Great Gatsby.

A 1932 photograph of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald in Baltimore.

A photograph of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald at Dellwood the month before Scottie's birth, 1921.

Zelda is rumored to have said she hoped Scottie would be “a beautiful little fool.”

A photograph of Marion Davies and her colonial beach home, Santa Monica, CA, circa 1930.

“New Money” began to have an acceptable place in society.

A photograph of prohibition enforcers disposing of confiscated bootleg liquor, 1929.

John L. McDonnell of the District Attorney's office enforcement squad and Pearl Stephenson, secretary to Chief Investigator Lucien Wheeler, are dumping down a sink $45,000 worth of bootleg liquor seized by the squad and used as evidence in liquor arrest cases.

A Prohibition propaganda button stating “Bread Not Beer,” circa 1918.

A Thompson sub-machine gun, circa 1930.

During Prohibition, the Thompson “Tommy” sub-machine gun was a favorite weapon of both law enforcement and members of organized crime.

A photograph of Prohibition Dry Squad members, 1919.

Federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement authorities were responsible for enforcing Prohibition, rooting out bootleggers, rumrunners, and moonshiners.

A wrecked 1922 model Chevrolet coach carrying 26 half-gallons of whiskey, 23 December 1923.

A photograph of the mob gathering at the scene of the assassination of Al Capone’s advisor, Tony Lombardo, 7 September 1928.

A photograph of the gangster Al Capone and Chicago Commissioner of Detectives John Stege, 1930.

Photograph’s original caption reads: "Alphonse Capone, released from a Philadelphia jail, set Chicago on its ears, when he appeared unheralded in the office of John Stege, Commissioner of Detectives, and blandly inquired if he was wanted for anything. Capone with his attorney was then escorted to the Federal building where the same question was put to the United States District Attorney. On the same night Gangdom banqueted the Big Fellow and the slogan was made "All for Al and Al for All." Text overlay on photograph reads: "What have you got on me Chief?”

A photograph of officials appraising and seizing illegal cargo from captured rum runners, 1932.

Rum running was a common crime during Prohibition. While some bootleggers made their own alcohol, rum runners used boats to import rum and other liquor from countries that had not prohibited its sale. Local officials, called “rum chasers,” pursued them on the water. These rum runners have been caught, and their cargo is being assessed by their captors.

 A photograph of Gertrude Ederle, 1920s.

Gertrude Ederle became the first woman (and the fastest by two hours over the five men who completed the distance previously) to swim across the English Channel.

A photograph of a man and woman on a golf course in the early 1920s.

Photograph of a Charleston dance contest in St. Louis on November 13, 1925.

The Charleston was the most popular dance of the 1920s.

Questions

1. Chapter three of *The Great Gatsby* begins with a list of famous celebrities with “new money” who attended Gatsby’s extravagant party. Marion Davies, a silent film star of the 1920s, would have been the type of person to attend such a bash. What elements in the [image of Marion Davies](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/sources/276) picture are relevant to a “Gatsby party”?

2. Prohibition prohibited the sale of alcohol. However, alcohol is obviously consumed in large quantities throughout the novel. Look at the pictures that deal with prohibition and compare them to the novel’s treatment of prohibition.

3. Rumors surround Gatsby and his wealth. Is he a bootlegger? Did he sell counterfeit bonds? What about his connection with Meyer Wolfsheim? Look at the pictures that deal with organized crime. Why do you think this era was fraught with mobsters and gangsters? Connect your idea with textual evidence that supports Gatsby as a man involved in illicit activities. 

4. There are two car accidents mentioned in the novel. Thanks to Henry Ford, cars were readily available before roads were safe and traffic laws enforced. The [picture of the wrecked 1922 model Chevrolet coach](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/sources/281), carrying gallons of alcohol, is similar to the wreck at the end of party in chapter three of *The Great Gatsby*. Look back at the scene in the novel. How is the picture similar? How is it different?

5. The Roaring Twenties was a time when women bobbed their hair, shortened their hemlines, and became independent. Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel faster than most men. How does she symbolize female empowerment in [her photograph](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/sources/285)?

Activity

Choose three primary sources and write a newspaper headline for each one. Each headline should connect to at least one event or character in the novel. 

For example:  

For the [wrecked 1922 model Chevrolet](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/sources/281):   
"Another Accident Attributed to Gatsby Party in West Egg!"


Teaching Guide: Exploring *The Great Gatsby*

Resources

1. [Indomitable Spirits: Prohibition in the United States](https://dp.la/exhibitions/spirits), Digital Public Library of America.

2. [The Roaring Twenties](https://ap.gilderlehrman.org/essays/roaring-twenties), The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. 

3. [8 Ways *The Great Gatsby* Captured the Roaring Twenties—and Its Dark Side](https://www.history.com/news/great-gatsby-roaring-twenties-fitzgerald-dark-side), History Channel. 


Overview

One of the most iconic books in American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tragic tale *The Great Gatsby* remains the quintessential literary depiction of the 1920s. Published in 1925, *Gatsby* explores Americans’ increasing disillusionment with the idea of the American dream during the glittery, overindulgent “Jazz Age.” The novel offers various American thematic elements: the struggle to escape the past, the intoxicating lure of wealth, the nostalgia of first love, and the impossible lengths humans go to achieve their dreams. These are better understood when accompanied by an exploration of cultural influences in the Roaring Twenties.


English

*The Great Gatsby* by F. Scott Fitzgerald

great-gatsby-f-scott-fitzgerald_01_ 65a48c7f10b13e1eeaf15cc3bcfca9fc.jpg

Courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library via California Digital Library.

“Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/e1999e8c3d3c062057e1ecb9048872e0.

A 1932 photograph of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald in Baltimore.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 1 of 14 in the Primary Source Set The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald