The main resource of Gatsby getting all his money from is from bootlegging. Wolfsheim says “…these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know”. Gatsby never grew up into money, selling alcohol illegally made him become rich because alcohol was illegal in the 1920s.
Though Gatsby has always wanted to be rich, his main motivation in acquiring his fortune was his love for Daisy Buchanan, whom he met as a young military officer in Louisville before leaving to fight in World War I in 1917.
Gatsby was born to poor farmer parents in North Dakota, but at 17, determined to become rich, struck out with the wealthy Dan Cody and never looked back (6.5-15). Even though he wasn't able to inherit any part of Cody's fortune, he used what he learned of wealthy society to first charm Daisy before shipping out to WWI.
Gatsby knows he has to have a lot of money to get Daisy back. Gatsby is so driven by the need for money that he ventures into bootlegging. Bootlegging is the illegal business of smuggling alcohol. Gatsby's criminal activities make him a very rich man.
According to Nick, how did Gatsby make his money? He inherited it from his late employer.
Upon seeing the shirts, Daisy cries and explains, “It makes me sad because I've never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.” One reason for Daisy's reaction could be that she only cares about material goods, and so something like fine clothing can make her feel affection for Gatsby.
Nick grew up in the "middle West," (what we call the Midwest), in a wealthy family that was "something of a clan" (1.5). His family made their money from a wholesale hardware business his grandfather's brother began after sending a substitute to fight for him in the Civil War.
Is Gatsby Richer than Tom? While both characters are rich, it is implied in the novel that Tom has more money. However, at that time, what most people cared about was how you would get your money. Gatsby is still involved in organized crime secretly- meaning that he is technically working to keep his status.
When Gatsby responds that Daisy's voice “is full of money,” Nick suddenly understands the source of its dangerous mystique. Daisy's voice echoes with affluence. Its “inexhaustible charm” makes exciting promises, but as Nick learns, such promises cannot be kept.
Did Daisy Know Gatsby Was Poor? While confusing at first, it seems that Daisy did in fact know that Gatsby was poor, as she met him before he went off to war. Even though Daisy promised she would wait for Gatsby, she eventually married Tom and bore him a baby.
Cody dies mysteriously while off with his lover, Ella Kaye, who evidently also stole the inheritance he left for Gatsby. Gatsby was left penniless, but he was still rich with experience. Cody was Gatsby's first opportunity to get close to the life he imagined for himself.
Gatsby was born "James Gatz," the son of poor farmers, in North Dakota. However, he was deeply ambitious and determined to be successful. He changed his name to "Jay Gatsby" and learned the manners of the rich on the yacht of Dan Cody, a wealthy man who he saved from a destructive storm and ended up being employed by.
At the end, she's left with a man who thinks too much of her and a man who thinks too little of her. She chooses the latter, since she can't measure up to the former. Once again, we see her make the weaker choice—a choice many people would've made.
Gatsby made his fortune through bootlegging. He sold alcohol through a drugstore that was front for illegal activities. His connection to organized crime gave him continued access to alcohol.
When Cody died, he left Gatsby $25,000, but Cody's mistress prevented him from claiming his inheritance. Gatsby then dedicated himself to becoming a wealthy and successful man.
According to the Forbes “Fictional 15” of 2010, a list of the richest fictional characters by net worth, Jay Gatsby is ranked #14 on the list with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. However, GoBankingRates' investigation reveals that Jay Gatsby's spending on high-ticket items threatens his future rankings.
' Jordan recounts to Nick the story of Daisy's wedding day, when Daisy got drunk and told Jordan that she did not want to marry Tom. Her decision to return the pearls ends up being purely symbolic, however, because she finally does wed Tom for his wealth and high social standing.
Fitzgerald makes it very clear that the wealth that Tom and Daisy has is superior to the wealth that Jay Gatsby has. Tom and Daisy were highly educated and came from money, while Gatsby got his money from selling illegal alcohol and throwing extravagant parties with the alcohol.
White represents the immaculate and pure beauty. It symbolizes nobleness and purity. It is Daisy's color in the novel. She wears white dress when she meets Gatsby for the first time as well as when Nick visits her in the East Egg.
We are told that Gatsby came up from essentially nothing, and that the first time he met Daisy Buchanan, he was “a penniless young man.” His fortune, we are told, was the result of a bootlegging business – he “bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago” and sold illegal alcohol over the counter.
This is at the very end of the novel. Of the late Gatsby, Tom says, “That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust in your eyes just like he did in Daisy's….” And that's why it matters that Nick is gay and in love with Gatsby: because Tom's assessment is spot-on, but Nick will never admit it.
West Egg, where Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway live, is for people with new money. They are looked down upon because they only came into wealth recently. People with old money, like Daisy and Tom Buchanan, live in East Egg. They are viewed as the upper class since their wealth has survived through generations.
He sees both the extraordinary quality of hope that Gatsby possesses and his idealistic dream of loving Daisy in a perfect world. Though Nick recognizes Gatsby's flaws the first time he meets him, he cannot help but admire Gatsby's brilliant smile, his romantic idealization of Daisy, and his yearning for the future.
Nick's selectiveness makes him an unreliable narrator because he is selective with regard to the information that he includes in his account of the events.
Tom's Backstory
Tom Buchanan is born into money, so along with Daisy, he is the book's chief representation of old money, and what it means and looks like to be a member of that class.