F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby takes place in the roaring twenties; a time of flappers and prohibition. Fitzgerald shows us how when something is banned or not allowed, we want more of it; the 1920s and prohibition proved this. Organized crime, like bootlegging, became common because people wanted alcohol more than ever, since they couldn’t have it. We can see this in the Great Gatsby when owl eyes says, “I’ve been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library.” (46). This quote exemplifies how alcohol was used in excess when it wasn’t allowed. When people had the chance to drink, they had as much as they could, because they didn’t know if they’d get it again. Flappers and women’s roles were changing. The nightlife and parties were getting wilder; America was modernizing. “...people were doing “stunts” all over the garden, while happy, vacuous bursts of laughter rose toward the summer sky” (46). This quotes shows how Gatsby’s parties were fun and wild and that people weren’t as formal and traditional as they used to be. Class and social ranking was also a large aspect of the 20s. The difference between old and new money was significant to the people of the time.”I lived at West Egg, the-well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is the most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them.” (5). East Egg was the “old money” side of New York, and West Egg was the “new money” side. While “new money” people had money, they were respected less than the “old money” people who inherited their wealth. In conclusion, Fitzgerald shows us the modern glamour and excess of the twenties through his book The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald).