Gatsby Is a Sinister Gangster by Thomas H. Pauly

Thomas H. Pauly views Jay Gatsby as a new type of stylish gangster. There is a criminal undertone consistent throughout the novel. At one time, gangsters were portrayed as evil, devilish, and “low-browed” (Pauly 41). However, Herbert Asbury asserts that there are no gangsters in this sense anymore, and that real, modern gangsters are tasteful and deceptive. Gatsby is considered a gangster simply due to the fact that he is cloaked in mystery and little is known about his past in the beginning. Gatsby’s wealth flourishes under his illicit activities shown through his expensive shirts. Similar to Gatsby, George Remus, an owner of a chain of pharmacies, gained an annual forty million dollar income due to his illegitimate actions of alcohol marketing violating prohibition laws. George Remus’s actions clearly reflect in the novel through Gatsby where he attains his fortune in a similar manner. Pauly persists and builds off of Asbury’s idea of real-life criminal representation in the novel through Gatsby. He mentions yet another person who influenced Fitzgerald’s in his characterization of Gatsby, Arnold Rothstein. Rothstein was a typical “example of gangster wealth” (Pauly 43). He emerged to fame mostly due to his “involvement with stolen bonds” (Pauly 45). Liberty bonds much like those that Gatsby promoted until the time of his death. Pauly also recalls another allusion to Gatsby’s deceptive-illegal nature when Nick and Wolfsheim first meet and claim the conversation to reflect Rothstein’s career’s turning point. Pauly also claims that Gatsby is the perfect vision of respectability and the perfect “mask [for Wolfsheim’s] blatant criminality” (Pauly 46). Wolfsheim’s praise towards Gatsby reveals his desperation for the “propriety” he needs as his front. Nick believes that Wolfsheim “owes his success more to a brazen disregard for the law than …subtle scheming” (Pauly 46). Rothstein was the “paradoxical blend of gentleman ‘dandy’ and criminal success at the heart of Gatsby’s characterization. Pauly claims that Gatsby “practices the same deception which made Rothstein so successful” (Pauly 47). He claims that Gatsby is not given credit for his cunning abilities. Gatsby presumably “handles all public relations for the alcohol and stolen bonds… [supplied]” (Pauly 48). To gain the amount of wealth that he has, Gatsby would have to be a more “cunning criminal than Nick allows” (Pauly 48). Wolfsheim seems to represents the older, stereotypical gangster, while Gatsby hints towards the more recent connotation of one. Pauly persists further in his argument by declaring that Gatsby may have been planning on using Nick, who is a bonds salesman, for his illegitimate transactions. Gatsby may be trying to “[cultivate] Nick as a possible outlet for his bonds” which is proven on the night of Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy (Pauly 50). Gatsby tries to persuade Nick to work for him to sell bonds and even claims that it is “a rather confidential sort of thing” (Pauly 50). Finally, Pauly restates that Gatsby appears to be “more manipulative than Nick [can comprehend]” (Pauly 51).

Even though he is not necessarily evil and “low-browed”, he is still a secretive and mysterious criminal. In addition to Thomas Pauly’s points, there are even more examples from the book supporting his claim. After Gatsby dies, a shady man named Slagle calls and starts to talk about Young Parke, presumably an associate of Gatsby. Slagle says that “they picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter” (Fitzgerald, 174). This further proves Gatsby’s involvement in criminal activities. Even when Gatsby says that he is telling the truth, he does not tell the whole truth. This shows that he is insincere and sinister. He tells Nick that he went to Oxford, but that true in its second meaning. From what he says, it sounds like he attended Oxford as a student, but Gatsby reveals that he actually only visited Oxford after the war. Gatsby is pompous and spends his money carelessly and lavishly, making himself seem stylish and respectable. However, he is just the “respectable front” of Wolfsheim’s illegal business. Gatsby can be easily interpreted as a sinister and deceptive gangster who conceals his criminal activities with his usually gentlemanly attitude and image.

Thomas H. Pauly is the author of An American Odyssey: Elia Kazan and American Culture.

Work Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1925. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

Pauly, Thomas H. "Gatsby as Gangster." Studies in American Fiction. Vol. 21.
N.p.: Northeastern University, 1993. 41-51.

Group Members: Jeffrey Chien, Ed Gao, and Leo Leung. Criticism #Unknown