The Great Gatsby and The American Mobster

    Americans have long been intrigued by crime. especially organized crime. Criminals have a sense of glamor about them that make for exciting conversations and stories. Their illegality, immorality, and general difference from the average life make criminals semi-heroes to the American public. Films such as The Godfather and books like The Great Gatsby provide examples of this, both in the works’ stories and in their receptions. The Godfather, although it portrays a family immersed and consumed by crime, it is hailed as one of the best films of all time. The stories and actors’ portrayals won the acclaim of the American people, not to mention Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Gatsby, like Don Corleone in The Godfather, is a man of mystique to his peers. He is seen and gawked at, but the people who know him never fully understood him.

    The Godfather and The Great Gatsby contain larger-than-life characters. Don Corleone, his son Michael, and Gatsby affect audiences because of how they are not relatable. Most people can’t seem to understand crime, so it intrigues them

Snazzy, Menacing Mobsters

to see criminals in person. Mobsters and the Mafia add another level of interest because of their organization. To the average person, the Mafia represents a government turned bad. It has its own social hierarchy and organization, but it is still criminal. Such order and precision in something that is normally associated with chaos fascinates people. The mob treats murder, cruelty, and illegality with complete familiarity and acceptance. What makes these criminals so appealing to an audience is their stark difference to normal life. People are amazed and awed by contrasts to normality. The characters in The Godfather are different both in their crimes and their nationality. The Italian origin of the Corleones adds to their mystique, like Gatsby’s experience in Europe and Oxford adds to his.

    Organized crime has a flair for the dramatic; petty larceny never interests people, but rigging the World Series or running a bootleg business can. Gatsby is a criminal, but he gives the people at his parties something to talk about, which elevates him above any simple thief. Because few people know Gatsby well, yet everyone knows who he is, no one at his parties can stop gossiping about what they think they know about him. His silence about his past only adds to this mystique. Indeed, the reader’s first glimpse of Gatsby is on a dark night a distance away, after which he vanishes inexplicably. At the first party Nick attends, a girl says of Gatsby, “You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody’s looking at him. I’ll bet he killed a man” (44). Gatsby inspires awe in his admirers; no one knows exactly how he got his money, so they all assume that it had been obtained illegally. The people admire Gatsby for making his own money, for being a “self-made man,” but by making it in a way that is mostly taboo and by being secretive about it, Gatsby has inspired wonder in them. The main cause of this wonder is the secret-but-not-quite nature of it. Everyone suspects that Gatsby is a criminal, but no one has anything quite near proof of it. However, when faced with proof, when Gatsby is accused up front of his bootlegging successes, he falters, and Tom shames him into realizing that Daisy is out of his reach. From the beginning to 0:35 in the video shows Daisy and Gatsby running from Tom's accusations.

    When crime is out in the open and overt, criminals lose their “star status.” People see criminals who are caught as nothing but trouble and deserving of their prison sentences. Americans don’t like to be confronted with the criminal underbelly of their society; they are entertained by quick glimpses of it that keep the mystery, but when it is completely revealed, they are quick to distance themselves from it. After Tom reveals Gatsby’s bootlegging and gambling schemes, Daisy and Nick lose their

Crime Isn't All Glamor

respect for him. He becomes a broken man and relinquishes all claim on Daisy. Nick says, “Then I turned back to Gatsby- and was startled at his expression. He looked -and this is said in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden- as if he had ‘killed a man.’ For a moment the set of his face could be described in just that fantastic way” (134). Nick has no respect for the people who gossip about Gatsby’s glamorous past; when confronted with the truth of the matter, the idea of “killing a man” becomes horrific rather than exciting. Gatsby's crimes, though not as severe as murder, are a badge of shame on an otherwise proper man.  By being unmasked as a criminal, Gatsby loses all respect and admiration he once had. He is a now just a man fleeing from his accuser, and if he had not been killed, he would certainly have been put to trial and been subject to the derision and shaming of his peers..

The reaction to a criminal depends on the crime and the person. Were Gatsby and the Corleones simple shoplifters or murderers, they would not have received the positive reactions from their crowds of adoring fans. Gatsby had a perfect life set up: he had money, a future wife, and a great house to throw parties in. Any whisper of his criminal past only served to further his reputation and mystique. A good criminal leaves an aura of mystery around the crimes, leaving people to wonder if it actually were committed. Society punishes bad criminals, both with legal action and with ostracizing. An unmasked criminal is only someone to be ashamed of and to be abandoned. Americans are fascinated with illegal action, but when confronted with it directly, they revile the same people they used to gossip about.


Patrick O'Hare

The Legacy of the "Roaring Twenties" in VH1's Mob Wives

"...The Twenties was not a ten-year binge during which everybody got rich and danced the Charleston in speakeasies while drinking bootleg hooch. Certainly the reaction to America's participation in World War I- which ended on 11 November 1918- triggered disillusionment, moral reevaluation, social experiment, and hedonism. Although Fitzgerald joined the parties and chronicled them, he wrote in judgment. The Twenties were primarily an era of possibilities and aspiration- a dominant Fitzgerald theme...'"

                

Matthew J. Brocculi, the preface of The Great Gatsby, 1992

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby undoubtedly portrays that the 1920's was an era for accomplishing that which was previously nearly impossible; it was not longer necessary that one be born into an upper class family to eventually end up with a very high socioeconomic status. The existence of self-made men, those who did not inherit their wealth, but earned it, was becoming increasingly common. Fitzgerald's character, Jay Gatsby, is a perfect example of this. He went from living in the Mid West with a considerable lack of money to living in an imposing, old European-style mansion in East Egg of Long Island. However, the American Dream, starting with rags and ending up with riches, and doing so fair and square, is not the only major aspect of the twenties that Fitzgerald demonstrates in The Great Gatsby.  "Hedonism" and "moral reevaluation" are terms that many people today would use to characterize the 1920's; these concepts go together and help form the themes of the novel that have undermined the relevance and the positive notions of the American Dream from Fitzgerald's time to present. Fitzgerald implies that Gatsby may have obtained his fortune in a less-than- conventional way. The rumors of Gatsby's bootlegging and other possible infractions against legal and/or social regulations make his rags to riches story seem slightly less inspiring, and a whole-lot more interesting.




Our culture today definitely has developed a keen fascination with crime. Audiences are all the more entertained when a story has a little taboo, or a little danger, or even a lot of straight-up illegal activity. Considering the success of entertainment classics like The Sopranos and The Godfather, and the frenzy of excited media around any slightly sketchy situation, the numerous criminal investigation shows on network television proves society's interest in all things improper has only been flourishing since the revolution against social standards and boundaries of the twenties. The characters of The Great Gatsby are much less reserved than the generation before them, and openly discussing secrets and drama is a new and invigorating part of socializing. The fact that Gatsby, starting from scratch, earned an immense fortune is not nearly as interesting the fact that he did so in such a scandalous way. Similarly, the women of VH1's reality television show, Mob Wives, have one-upped all of the other shows about the controversies among groups of wealthy women. Mob Wives  follows the lives or four women whose fathers and/or husbands have been incarcerated for Mafia related felonies. The women live extravagantly and publicly. They buy nice clothes and attend countless parties, where they start fights that include shouting intimate details of each other's lives. The most interesting aspect is what sets it apart from other reality shows about disillusioned rich women: they are all related to criminals. Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, his era of possibilities and aspirations was contaminated by the widespread self-indulgence and loss of propriety by the American people after WWI that he resented so much. This scary spin-off of Real Housewives undoubtedly portrays that the very things Fitzgerald critiqued about the twenties are the things that have remained a part of American Society. 

Besides the show corresponding with Fitzgerald's  representation of society's fascination with crime, Mob Wives demonstrates the idea that being wealthy means one is constantly performing for others as though acting wealthy is as important as being wealthy, a significant theme in The Great Gatsby. The West Egg's lavish displays of wealth are unsettling to those from East Egg. Daisy Buchanan, and East Egg resident of a historically wealthy family, is "offended" by the extravagance of one of Gatsby's parties. For Daisy, and others considered as having "old money" find the nouveau rich's flashiness to be a type of mockery, as though they are making a farce of their lifestyle, of their ancestors' lifestyle. Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, like Daisy, is distressed by the over the top behavior, or "performance" by the women of Mob Wives. He calls it "disgraceful". He feels as though it is portraying Italian Americans and Staten Islanders in a bad light. Victoria Gotti is also horrified by the show and claims that it is scripted. The women have responded by saying they are not attempting to represent anyone but themselves and that the show is definitely not scripted. The show has been given positive reviews from non-New Yorkers and non-Italian Americans. Nick Carraway would probably respect the women and their show, as he found a way to respect Gatsby despite all of the superficial, gaudy partying Gatsby participated in that Nick wholeheartedly resented. Similarly to the way Nick appreciated Gatsby's authentic earnestness to be successful, many critics don't interpret the women's openness to sharing their stories, but respect it.

In both The Great Gatsby and Mob Wives, the performance involved for being rich and famous required that people abandon certain, very real, parts of their lives. When Jay Gatsby, born James Gatz, decided it was time for him to create a new life or himself, he left his past behind completely. He wanted to be able to start his life over completely, without any details of his past affecting his future. He changed his name and estranged himself from his family.
Gatsby abandoned family Gatz to Gatsby. Renee Graziano of Mob Wives also had to chose to not have her father, Anthony Graziano, be a part of her life anymore because she chose to do the show. Mafia activity is supposed to be top secret, and all of these women have been criticized by their loved ones for "being snitches" or "selling out". Renee wants to use this show as a way for her to start rebuilding a life separate from the mob, so she sacrificed her relationship with her father to be a Mob Wife. An issue affecting all of the women is Karen Gravano's decision to write a tell-all book, in which she plans to include detailed information about her family's conflict with Renee's family and Drita's husband, Lee, whom she dated many years ago. The women found it hard to support their friend when they had no idea what was going to be published about them or their families in Karen's book. Before anyone could even confront Karen about it, she made it clear that she does not care what they think about what she has to say. Karen has prioritized her celebrity status to please, momentarily, her curious fans, and she has sacrificed the trust of the other women. Karen is taking an approach just like that of Gatsby to accomplish her goal. She is forcing out reality, and in the end, she may be disappointed.

Bullets and Broads: Celebrated Criminality in "Chicago" and "The Great Gatsby"

"...You are about to hear a story of murder, greed, lust...all those things we hold dear to our hearts."

-The MC

"In case you shake apart and want a brand new start
to do that jazz."

In the musical "Chicago," we follow the story of Roxie Hart (the blond woman on the right in the above picture), a feisty and ambitious young woman living in Prohibition-era Chicago. As the charismatic MC states in the musical's opening line, this show's risque nature is revealed almost immediately, when Roxie and her lover, Fred Casely, are shown in the throes of passion as the ensemble sings the seductive "All That Jazz" in the background. Things take a turn for the worst when Roxie shoots Casely to death for breaking up with her. It all goes downhill from here, as the cops drag her to prison soon after the crime.

It is in prison that she meets the famous Velma Kelly (the woman on the left in the above), a performer-turned-murderess who has become famous for the brutality of her crime. Kelly shirks Roxie's fangirl behavior at first, but when Roxie teams up with Velma's lawyer, the silver-tongued Billy Flynn (pictured in the center), she gains her own stardom, as Flynn turns her crime into an even bigger treasure than Kelly's.

 

Flynn works the press like puppets in the song "Both Reached for the Gun."

Roxie goes on to become a superstar within prison walls, surpassing Velma Kelly with her celebrity. The public goes wild when the two decide to team up, fulfilling Roxie's long-time wish of being a famous performer, and regaining Velma's celebrity (which Roxie had snatched entirely).

Adele's hit song "Rumour Has It" is a great fit
for Gatsby, as it deals with the flagrant and
infectious nature of rumors.

This theatre classic connects seamlessly to the celebrated criminality in The Great Gatsby. Even before we officially meet Gatsby for the first time, Nick hears wild rumors about his origins and wealth, ranging from him being "a German spy during the war" to "he killed a man" (44). Nick, though appalled at the ridiculous claims made by Gatsby's guests, is impressed. He remarks that "It was a testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who had found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world," exclaiming his wonder in Gatsby's ability to entice the wealthy with his (supposed) criminality.

Gatsby is, in many ways, very similar to the heroine of Chicago, Roxie Hart. Both are from poor roots. Both move to the East in search of a more exciting life (Gatsby from the West and Roxie from Mississippi [or so she claims to the media!]). And, most importantly, both have dreams of a better lifestyle that they achieve through criminality. The flashy and lavish nature of their success is seen on the left, in this scene from The Great Gatsby, showing one of Gatsby's parties. An interesting point about both the East and the American Dream is made in the similarity between Roxie and Jay's stories.

Regarding the East, both Fitzgerald and Ebb/Fosse emphasize the powerful criminal cultures there. In Gatsby’s case, Meyer Wolfsheim and his ilk provide the criminal element that leads to Gatsby’s great fortune. And in Roxie’s, her frenzied murder of her lover leads to her eventual fame. As both of these characters migrated from areas of the country they regarded as more boring and slow-paced when compared to the East, the similar way in which the East challenges them makes a statement. It argues that the faster, more wild life that the East promises is not for everyone, and that any dreams one hopes to procure there will come with a price. However, it also seems that the East is a place where normally malevolent deeds are not just allowed, but celebrated. In both of their cases, criminality is a road to success, corrupting the classically pure take that the American Dream usually is associated with.

In "Chicago," the song "Cell Block Tango" is an excellent medium that connects the frequent criminality seen in the East with the celebrated and, in this case, seductive nature of the crimes.

In the East, the American Dream is rewritten from the ideal of a poor man gaining wealth and luxury with nothing but a dream and hard work. Instead, it becomes a Dream in which wealth is achieved through underhanded means and connections. Both Wolfsheim and Billy Flynn serve as deceptive agents through which our protagonists reach fame, eliminating the need for the hard work that one is supposed to endure to reach the American Dream. Furthermore, in both of these stories, the supposed wealth and celebrity that Gatsby and Roxie attain are proven to be transparent in both of the works’ conclusions.

For Gatsby, his funeral is very nearly a no-show, showing that, ironically, his mystique lied purely in the mystery of his origins. Without his criminality to gossip about, the guests who flocked to his house every night for parties could care less about him.

And for Roxie, her stardom inevitably fades when yet another hotheaded young woman commits a vicious murder in Chicago, usurping Roxie’s throne and pushing her back into the anonymity that she dreamed so long of escaping. Her fame, as Flynn taunts towards the end of the show, was “a flash in the pan.”

Kitty Baxter, the latest murderess blowing up the Chicago papers with headlines as:

BULLETS AND BROADS! ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MURDER!

In the end, the East’s obsession with the charming magic of criminality will never truly fade, as those from more “boring” parts of the U.S. continue to flock there in hopes of grandeur. It is this cycle of hope and crime that fuels the theme of Criminal Celebrity that both Chicago and TGG employ, and will continue to fill the exciting East with “romantic speculation."