Death of the Great Gatsby and the Missing Poor Man Wilson: The Full Story After Two Years

By: Sarah Coleman

Rumors and on-going gossip has been spread from the slums to the riches about how Jay Gatsby dies. Stories had reported that Myrtle Wilson had been killed from a hit-and-run incident. The question on everyone’s mind after the event happened was, “Who?” and, “Why?” The car that was seen to run over Mrs. Wilson was a big yellow automobile. The only known man to have this car within a 50-mile radius happened to be Jay Gatsby. Why would Gatsby run over Mrs. Wilson though? Once Mr. Wilson had heard of this from an unknown “friend”, he was seen leaving his shop and walking the long way to the Gatsby mansion. Nick Carraway, a close friend to Gatsby, had said at the time: “After a long day of work I went to go see how he was doing, like I always did, and he was dead.” Some people say that he committed suicide but others seem to know that Wilson traveled to Gatsby’s with a gun and shot his enemy along with himself. Now after two long years, Mr. Carraway has told us the real story. After a tiresome day in New York, Nick Carraway, Jordan Baker, and Tom Buchanan traveled in Mr.s Buchanan’s car and Daisy Buchanan (Gatsby’s former lover) and Mr. Gatsby rode in the yellow automobile the belonged to Gatsby. Passing by George Wilson’s garage, the yellow car crushes Myrtle Wilson. The driver of the car was none other than Daisy. Mr. Carraway tells us that it was a complete accident and that Mrs. Buchanan knew not the woman. Later, Tom Buchanan went straight to Wilson’s and told him that Gatsby had done the damage. Wilson walked to Gatsby’s while he was in the pool and shot him dead then shot himself, committing suicide. Tom and Daisy Buchanan soon disappeared together and are to this day, incognito. All is twisted in these lands.

Times Get Tense in Tinsel Town

Yesterday afternoon, witnesses at the Plaza Hotel reported seeing a somewhat motley crew enter into a private suite. Leading the party were Tom and Daisy Buchanan along with their friends Jordan Baker and Nick Carraway, usual installments at the couple's East Egg mansion. However the fifth cohort was a bit unusually placed. It was none other than Jay Gatsby the man known for his "new wealth," fabulous parties and questionable past. Bystanders reported that the usually gay individuals all seemed rather tense and stressed. Their behavior was soon explained as not within 30 minutes of being in their suite a "loud discussion" broke out. After gathering information from other Plaza guests and some inside details from Gatsby himself, we are able to report that the argument was caused by Tom Buchanan discovering that his wife of seven years was indeed having an affair with Jay Gatsby. Tom had been stewing and finally let out all his anger demanding to know the truth and castrating Daisy for her lack of fidelity, (which is a whole other kettle of fish, considering that Tom himself has been having affairs for the better part of his marriage.) This is when Gatsby jumps in, demanding that Daisy admit that she never loved Tom and has been waiting all these years for Gatsby, who, once a poor man, left to make his fortune for Daisy, so that he might be worthy of her. Daisy feebly admits that she thought she loved Tom "at one time," but loves Gatsby "too." Gatsby and Tom then continue to argue so that it is too much for Daisy and she runs out to Jay's car and insists on driving home.

A very tense confrontation indeed.

The Roaring Twenties Goes Out With a Crash

A stock market crash, that is.

Despite the immense wealth and prosperity that has come to personify the decade, October 29, 1929 marks Black Tuesday. A day that will live on in history as the infamous beginning of one of the largest economic struggles that the United States has ever faced.

So what was the cause of such a catastrophe? Well in order to understand, we must have a mini economics lesson. First of all: what is a stock market crash? It is a sudden, dramatic decline of stock prices across a significant cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. In english, that means everyones money that was placed in stocks disappears. And considering that everyone and their dog has been investing in stocks for the past nine years, that's a LOT of money that just went down the tube.

It is more than ironic that the thing that brought us such economic stability is the same thing that is now making our economy a living hell. With the technological advances we've made this past decade with radio, aviation, automobiles and telephones, people have been investing their money in the companies that pioneered these techonologies. And the way to do that is through stocks. So when the Wall Street Stock Market had the largest crash of the century, a panic like no other broke out. People trying to sell their shares to ensure economic stability.

This crisis gives whole new meaning to the phrase

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

By: Natalie Lewis

The Flappers

As the nation embarked into the 1900’s, so did the fashions of men and women. The once covered and “modest” girls of the nation soon turned into what the 1920’s referred to as “flappers.” A flapper was described as a young woman, especially one who, during the 1920s, behaved and dressed in a boldly unconventional manner. Before the ladies decided to become rebellious, they wore loose fitting clothes that covered their arms, legs, necks, heads, etc. Then all hell broke loose and the women decided that they wanted to be noticed in a different way and that boring clothing was enough. Tight, short dresses were displayed as well as legs, arms and such. In The Great Gatsby, Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson, the wife of George Wilson. Some of the fashions that Myrtle could have worn were the high-above-the-knee dresses and/or outfits that might have appealed to Tom. Also, Daisy Buchanan, with her glamorous self, also could have had this type of “flapper” style because of the lifestyle she lived with her husband Tom Buchanan. The flapper lifestyle somewhat continued as the years dragged on. Tighter and more revealing clothes still exist today as more women and girls feel like they need to be noticed with their great figures.

Murder in the Streets

By: Susannah Godfrey

Last night, while the city was sleeping, a heinous crime was committed. According to eye witnesses a lone woman was seen casually walking through the town. Out of nowhere a sleek car sped around the corner and collided with the woman. The woman was thrown forty feet landing on her neck. The victim was killed instantly. Autopsy results report that the victim obtained a broken ribs, neck, arms, and tibia. The cause of death was internal bleeding and a broken spinal column.

The victim has been identified as Myrtle Wilson of The valley of Ashes. She is survived by her husband, George Wilson.

Authorities are now searching for the guilty assailant. The car was last seen speeding away from the scene. It is a sleek new model with a New York license plate. If you have any new information concerning the matter please call 1800-395-3333.

Widowed Man Opens Up

By: Samantha Seaman

George Wilson, an owner of a run-down auto shop at the edge of the valley of ashes was made a widower yesterday. His wife, Myrtle, died unexpectedly in a car crash. After many question about their relationship, Wilson opens up and lets The Twitterin Twenties know it all.

Though Mr. and Mrs. Wilson had a rough relationship, when questioned if he really, deeply loved his wife, Wilson answered, “I have never loved anything more, she was everything to me.” We then went straight to the question to silence all the gossip, “there’s been a rumor floating around that your wife was having secret meetings with another man, do you know anything about this?” In a solemn tone he replied,” yes, she was with another man, before she died I confronted her about her lover and told her that she could not hide her sin from the eyes of God.” But we know that’s not the end of it. So we continued to ask, “What are your plans now that your beloved wife is dead?” Without hesitation Wilson answered,” I believe that whoever was driving the car that killed my Myrtle was her lover and I am determined to find who that is, and put him in his place.” There you have it. Though George Wilson’s wife cheated on him, he is still driven to find the culprit and turn him in for what he’s done.

Another Act Passed

By:Samantha Seaman

Just two days ago Congress and the Senate have passed the 18th amendment, known as the Volstead Act. It has been named after Andrew Volstead, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which oversaw the bill. However, it was the Anti-Saloon League's Wayne Wheeler who conceived and drafted the bill. This act prohibits the manufacture, sale, transport, import or export of alcoholic beverages. The Volstead Act defines intoxication liquor as any beverage containing more than 0.5% alcohol and supersedes all existing prohibition laws in effect in states that have such legislation.

Many make a living of selling alcoholic beverages, so we asked a salesman of a local store what he thought of this new amendment and with rage he answered, “I hate it! Alcohol is the number one thing I sale in here, without it this store will go down soon!” Another salesman simple replied, “It’s a joke, and hopefully it will be repealed soon.”

On the contrast, politicians are saying, “we anticipate that alcohol's banishment will lead to the destruction of poverty, while all together ennobling the common man to achieve his highest goals”. Also many see it as the “devil’s advocate,” and with any luck this act will reduce crime, poverty, death rates, and improve the economy and the quality of life.

Though there’s a positive and negative effect, it can decrease the crimes in the United States but many will lose their jobs, the reality of the Volstead Act is to reduce the consumption of alcohol. How this will affect the United States is left unknown.