The Great Gatsby: Pages 73-84

Meyer Wolfsheim

Pages seventy-three through eighty-four of The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, introduce the reader to a topic that could eventually have a negative effect on certain characters. It is here that Jay Gatsby begins to talk about how he makes a living, but in my opinion, his dealings and business appear to be rather sketchy. Although the author never comes right out and explains the details of Gatsby’s so called business, the lack of details given causes me to believe that it is something that very well might be skirting the edge of legal. Even after he is asked, Gatsby edges around actually coming straight out and saying what his profession is, and this reluctance to tell of certain details makes both me and character Nick Carraway wary of it. He speaks of the business as being “on the side” and states that “it happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing,” (Fitzgerald, 83). These descriptions do not bode well for the possibility of the business being legitimate, and they leave way to much room for the prospect of illegal activity. Furthermore, a man Gatsby does business with, Meyer Wolfsheim, is known for his indiscretions and ability to avoid punishment. Wolfsheim is a well-known gambler who apparently fixed the World Series and has avoided jail because, in the words of Jay Gatsby, “They can’t get him, old sport. He’s a smart man,” (Fitzgerald, 73). However, even if Wolfsheim has been able to stay out of the line of fire for now, he is bound to run into a predicament at some point, and at that point he could easily drag down Gatsby and even Nick Carraway with him. Although Carraway seems to want to avoid the vague and mysterious business, the prospect of gaining inordinate amounts of money oftentimes hooks the fish in the end, and involvement in anything illegal could bring him down. I can only hope that my assumptions are incorrect, and that I have just looked too far into Gatsby’s words.