Gatsby's Symbolic Purpose

 Gatsby represents the american mob in the time of the 1920's because he is trying to hide all of the illegal things he does, to get money. In chapter seven, Tom calls Gatsby a "common swindler," which implies that Gatsby made his money in a dishonest way. Gatsby does not deny it and it leads Nick to believe that Gatsby made his money bootlegging. Gatsby is a shy person on the outside, hiding his past inside and leaves you to believe that he is a good guy that isn't a criminal. Like many during the 1920's the prohibition hit the United States hard, which caused many to go out and make and sell illegal liquor. This leads me to believe since Gatsby got his money illegally and dishonestly, then tried to cover it up, that his symbol would be an american mob member. Many people who got their money illegally were in the mob and just made a massive empire of money through the bootlegging process. Finally, if you think of the role Gatsby played, shy on the outside hiding his emotions, then you would realize that he isn't the person that you first expected he was.