Just in time for Leo.
With the movie here as of last Friday, this book jumped to the top of my reading list. I would say The Great Gatsby is a short and important read. Most of American society hails Gatsby as the American dream. P. Diddy, according to Time magazine, even admits that his white parties are inspired by Gatsby. How did this book become so glamorous when its characters are so sad? I think Nick said it best, while in the city with Tom and Myrtle: “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” This same sense of disgust combined with interest is what keeps the reader going. The Great Gatsby is a story everyone loves about characters they also hate. The characters are not perfect, but they are real.
Spoiler Alert: Tom cheats on Daisy with Myrtle, Daisy cheats on Tom with Gatsby, Daisy kills Myrtle and Wilson kills Gatsby. These characters each had so much in their lives, and they threw it away. They wasted it chasing the past. They wasted it trying to create alternative, secret lives for themselves and saving appearances.
If you read between the lines, then you will find a repetitive thought process in each character: “I would be happy if I had X. Life would be better if I had Y.” Most people are familiar with this thought process. If only I could make things the way they were five year ago. This was the motivation for Gatsby attaining all of his wealth and grandeur. This is also why Tom and Daisy both sought outside companionship from their marriage. What normally happens once you get X or Y? Things stay the same, or, as in The Great Gatsby’s case, they actually got worse.
This novel is such a great warning for how not to live your life. Am I living in the present? Am I my true self? These are the two questions that remained in my mind after the last page was read. This is what I ask you to contemplate. Is the green light across the bay really the answer to happiness?
Rating: 4 Teeth
This is a classic, well written, American novel. I have not seen the May 2013 film interpretation yet, but I plan on it.
The first person who can identify the only tooth reference I found within this novel wins my copy of The Great Gatsby. Please identify the incident and the chapter in the comment section. The deadline is June 1, 2013.