08/02/2006 - Based On True Events

I really believe that the riot that ensues at the offices of The Trumpet is the most fascinating and surreal event that occurs in May Day. The fact that it is based off a real event on the same day, in a much larger scale, is even more amazing. It really shows how Fitzgerald worked as an author; taking real events and making them entirely his own. It also shows how a seemingly small event in the real world can take on other worldly meanings in the realm of fiction.

“Henry rose, and going to the window exposed himself as a long silhouette against the office lights. Immediately the shouting became a steady yell, and a rattling fusillade of small missiles, corners of tobacco plugs, cigarette-boxes, and even pennies beat against the window. The sounds of the racket now began floating up the stairs as the folding doors revolved” (page 108).

May 1, 1919 was quite the tremendous day. Just looking at the New York Times from the following day shows how much turmoil the world was in after World War One. Nestled in between stories about riots in Paris and Cleveland is a short piece about a disturbance at a “socialist daily”. Coming because they heard there was a meeting of Bolshevist sympathizers, roughly 400 soldiers and sailors marched to the new offices of the communist newspaper The Call on Fourth Avenue. The soldiers, lead by a Canadian, told the 700 men, women, and children to take down posters of a “Bolshevik nature”. A partygoer refused their demand and as a result the soldiers, armed with clubs and sticks, forced their way into the celebration and tore the posters from the wall. Driving celebrants into the streets, the soldiers formed a semi-circle around them and beat them with blunt objects. This all seems so surreal..

“A figure flashed by her out of nowhere, tottered, was edged sideways, and of a sudden disappeared helplessly out through the open window with a frightened, fragmentary cry that died staccato on the bosom of the clamor. By the faint light streaming from the building backing on the area Edith had a quick impression that it had been the tall soldier with the weak chin” (page 110).

This wasn’t the only thing that Fitzgerald lifted from real world events he also based the death of Key on a stockholder taking a tumble from a window twenty five feet above ground at the offices of The Call,

“One of The Call stockholders, who was threatened by soldiers, ran to the rear of the building and jumped from a window twenty-five feet above the ground” (New York Times).

Eventually the police did show up and fortunately they had little trouble in disarming what had become a full-scale riot. As a result of the events at The Call’s new offices on Fourth Avenue, police were dispatched to their old location on Pearl Street, however nothing would end up happening. I write like I know where these places are but I really don’t have a clue. Let me amend that statement by saying that I could find The Call’s offices on Fourth Avenue with relative ease however their location on Pearl Street is anyone’s guess.

This paranoia is inexcusable . It is mind-boggling that war veterans would attack American citizens on their home soil especially Americans and their allies. Where does this out right animosity come from? For me, it just appears so out of character for them to be participating in such egregious activities. I expect more of them I suppose.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “May Day”. Tales of the Jazz Age. First Pine Street Books: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2003.

“Soldiers And Sailors Break Up Meetings.” New York Times. 2 May. 1919:3.