The Great Gatsby, one of those classical American novels that the 20th century is known for. It is perhaps F. Scott Fitzgerald's greatest novel--a book that offers deep and insightful views of the American culture and dream. Like much of Fitzgerald's work, it is neat and well crafted. He seems to have had a brilliant understanding of lives that are corrupted by greed and incredibly sad and unfulfilled. The novel is a product of its generation, and if you haven’t ever heard of it or read it, you should within your lifetime. Told from the perspective of an outsider, Fitzgerald pulls the reader in with amazingly detailed descriptions of a world so few are a part of. For me, the first time reading this book was like wandering through the dark, and it took me a while to see what a true masterpiece this novel is. The Great Gatsby is a literary treasure that has much meaning behind it, but you might just need to dig deeper to find it.
The novel's events are filtered through the consciousness of its narrator, Nick Carraway, a young Yale graduate, who is both a part of and separate from the world he describes. Upon moving to New York, he rents a house next door to the mansion of an eccentric millionaire, Jay Gatsby. Every Saturday, Gatsby throws a party at his mansion and all the great and the good of the young fashionable world come to marvel at his extravagance. Despite his high-living, Gatsby is dissatisfied, desperate for love and to fulfill his own farfetched dream. Everything he ever did in his life was for the sole purpose of his dream, but Gatsby was eventually blinded from reality, seeing only an illusion of the real world. Is that the truth of the American Dream?
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.”“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
(Fitzgerald, F. Scott, Chapter 1, eBooks@Adelaide, 2007)
This quote represents the foundation Nick Carraway’s morals and beliefs. This is the very opening of “The Great Gatsby” sets the tone for a book about society and class. We know immediately that Nick is privileged, and that he is painfully conscious of it. To me it means that if there is something you distaste about someone, you must understand that they were raised differently and may not think the way you do. They may not have had the same chances you were offered in life, or experienced the same things you have. This leads into another of Nick’s quotes; "Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope." (Fitzgerald, F. Scott, Chapter 1, eBooks@Adelaide, 2007) He believes that people have the power to change who they are, and you should not criticize them, in hopes that they can and will change. However the reality of it all is that much people don’t change and they refuse to, so it is a matter of infinite hope that you believe that they will. This highlights one of the key themes of the book.
“Can't repeat the past?…Why of course you can! He cried incredulously” (Fitzgerald, F. Scott, Chapter 6, eBooks@Adelaide, 2007)
Gatsby himself makes this remark and this reflects his perception and hope. All his life he has been trying to get back the love of his life, even though in reality it is impossible. He harbors an infinite amount of hope that even Nick is astounded by. He believes that he can in fact do anything, especially with his money, but in actuality it is quite the contrary. Gatsby has an obscure view of the reality, trying to reach for something that is unobtainable. He felt as if he was so close to it, but he was still far, far away. Gatsby had put his trust in unstable things- wealth, social superiority, and his idealism and ambition made him reach too far for things he didn’t have. Gatsby then ended up losing what he did have.
To be completely honest, at first I was a little hesitant picking this book up and reading for class because it just didn’t seem to suit me. It also just seemed to bore me at first, but you know what they say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. That saying was very true indeed and I later realized what a true masterpiece this novel is. In less than 200 pages, Fitzgerald creates a world so rich in detail, extravagance, and inhabited by characters of such a careless nature one has trouble believing they are all part of the same book. It's a small snapshot of human nature one hopes is never a reflection. They are simple creatures who care nothing more than about themselves and what they can get out of anyone and any situation. The novel overall reveals the extravagance and corruption of the 1920’s. His descriptions are fabulous and words are magnificent in choice. He gives life to very small things -- curtains, the air moving a dress in the breeze. In addition, the symbolism is impeccable, representing much more than a reader could possibly imagine. I rate this book a complete 5 out of 5, recommending it to anyone that would like to read one of the America’s most treasured classical novels. Next time you are at the library, or the local book store, pick it up, or at least attempt to read it. I can almost guarantee you won’t regret it! At times you may not be able to piece things together, but once things click together in your mind you can see the true artistry in it. After all, it’s one of most well-known pieces of literature in the world.
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