F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

My friend once recommended this book to me, saying it was one of his favorites. When it popped up on my outside reading list for AP Lit. I decided to give it a go. So, I headed over to Barnes and Nobles and read half of it while sitting there sipping a chai latte, and then finished it later that night before I went to bed.

I didn’t like it, at least I didn’t until the end. Its dry writing style and lack of emotion frustrated me, as did the characters’ senseless immaturity and materialism. I couldn’t understand these characters motivations, because the only one I could relate to was Gatsby. I also didn’t understand Fitzgerald’s motivation until the end of the book.

This was a book where love didn’t matter. The characters were too caught up in socializing and guaranteeing their well-being. The only one who loved, who had compassion for others, who was not self-centered and completely materialistic was Gatsby. Perhaps this is because of his background. He had attained wealth, he was not born with it; maybe he wasn’t as afraid of its loss, which can certainly be gathered from the way he throws his money around. For Gatsby, the only thing that truly mattered was Daisy. He lived his life for her. Everything he did was for her. Did she return the favor?

No. And that’s why I hated her. She had a man who loved her immensely, and she stayed with her adulterous husband for the security it brought her. All Gatsby asked from her was to be loved in return and she abandons him so completely it’s disgusting. And the rest of the characters are like her. Nick becomes too caught up in their lives, he wants what they have too. Tom cares about no one but himself and his pleasures, and has no respect for his marriage. Daisy’s friend just doesn’t care what happens to anyone as long as she’s alright. It’s frustrating to see all of these characters hinder themselves from having what could possibly be a spectacular experience because they are afraid of the outcome.

At the end of the novel, it becomes apparent why this was all necessary. The style and tone, the lack of emotion, the characters, everything. The Great Gatsby is a social commentary about how society is becoming more materialistic as time progresses and society’s emotional digression into stoicism. It also recognizes that society stops the man from feeling by beating him down and killing him and the last vestiges of true emotion. Fitzgerald recognized a tendency of self-involvement and envisioned an extreme example to show the world where this lack of concern and compassion could lead.