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The Great Gatsby Chicago, Illinois Picture courtesy of the Library of Congress |
| Chicago is the home of "Scarface" Al Capone and his followers. Chicago is one of the main areas that sells black-market alcohol. In The Great Gatsby, Chicago is suspected as one of the cities in which Gatsby does business. He is suspected of buying drug stores and then selling grain alcohol over the counter in bootlegging operations. The picture above is a deserted train yard in Chicago. In the center is a man behind a pole making a "deal" with someone else. These meetings are an example of what sort of business would have been occurring during the Twenties. Chicago is mentioned in the story when Gatsby receives a wire from a business during his party. After his death, a mysterious phone call from Chicago lets the reader know that even as Gatsby's life was crumbling, his business dealings were too. |
| Page last updated on May 7, 1999. Curator: Priya Chhaya |