This book represents the idea, still so vividly alive in all of us today, that great is great by greater is better.
Title Analysis
The Great Gatsby refers to Gatsby, a young, handsome and wealthy man that often throws enormous parties in his monstrously ornate mansion. Galas and jazz bands, the most delicious buffets, champagne and caviar, all await the visitors. Gatsby is considered the greatest among all the rich people living in West Egg, a sumptuous neighborhood on Long Island, near New York City.
A Brief Summary & Eileen’s perspective
The story commences with the narrator, Nick, recounting a wisdom his father passed a long time ago. “ Whenever you feel like critizing someone, just remember that all the people in this world hadn’t had the advantages you had. “ And so Nick remains faithful to this advice and grows up not judging people at fist sight. Coming to live in West Egg, next door to Gatsby’s gigantic mansion, he find himself utterly astonished by Gatsby’s abundance of money because of his extravagant and costly parties. One evening, Nick drives to East Egg to have dinner with his cousin Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchenan. There happens to be a third guest that Nick will be close friends with later on, Jordan Baker, a renowned attractive golfer. The whole event seems to be rather awkward, so Nick returns home, on the way seeing Gatsby standing on the lawn and reaching his arms toward a distant green light in the dark.
I admire the part where Fitzgerald uses a symbol in the narrative. The unblinking, endlessly staring eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, being a drawing of eyes on a billboard, watch over everything that happens in the Valley of Ashes. Nick believes at the end of the novel, that these eyes are the eyes of God. The sign is placed in the grey valley halfway between East Egg and West Egg, so that it will be able to follow up all the ensuing events. As Nick and Tom ride the commuter train to the city, they halt at one of the stops to see Tom’s mistress, Myrtle, whom is the wife of garage mechanic named Wilson. They all (except for Wilson) end up at a party, but Tom’s ostentatious behavior repulses Nick untill eventually Tom breaks Myrtle’s nose while she was talking about Daisy, Tom’s wife. This chapter, to me, didn’t fit in so great as the rest of the chapters did. It seemed to be in a way seperated from the story, even though we get to know Tom, Daisy and Myrtle. I interpret this part more as an application of the rule “ show, don’t tell”, Fitzgerald encouraging us to create our own image of the characters as a result of their behavior, causing a kickstart to our imagination. Nick finally meets Gatsby at one of his eleborate parties. He finds himself peculiarly interested in Gatsby’s life, due to the rumours that Gatsby may be in some dark business to earn this amount of money. Gatsby, being a very amiable and considerate man of wealth, tells Nick he is in love with Daisy Buchenan, and the he wants Nick to invite Daisy and himself over for tea, so that he can finally see her, since he has always been to scared to invite her to his own housover at Nick’s house. Gatsby intends to come to the tea as well, so that he can finally see her, since he is too timid to invite her himself. Nick agrees with his friend’s request but, coming home that night, he finds Gatsby’s mansion lit up brightly, his lawn mowned and full of flowers and Gatsby in a pink suit, terribly nervous. Apparently Gatsby and Daisy do know each other, in fact, they go way back. They broke up during the war, but claim to be still in love. After their reunion, Gastby takes Daisy to his house where they fall in love once more. The rumours of Gatby’s past continue to circulate around New York City but eventually, Nick tells us the truth. James Gatz lived on a farm in North Dakota. His family wasn’t rich like Gatsby claimed. He met a wealthy man named Dan Cody and came to work on his yacht. When Cody died, he left Gatsby $25.000, none of wich Gatsby ever receive, since his former girlfirend confiscated the inheritance. Afterwards, Gatsby dedicated himself to becoming as succesfull as Cody once was. Gatsby invites Tom and Daisy to one of his parties, but Daisy didn’t like it, so Gatsby chooses to never throw parties again and fires all his servants. This is the moment when we as readers find out what Gatsby’s intention was all along: to pursue his dream, the latter being to satisfy Daisy. She proposes to all go to New York and so Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, Nick and Jordan begin their all-changing trip. On their way, they stop at Wilson and Myrtle’s garage. They come to know that Wilson plans to move Myrtle to the West because of her infidelity, not aware of her affair with Tom. The latter also wants to get rid of Myrtle, because his love for Daisy grew stronger now that she is away so often, on his turn, not yet aware of Daisy’s affair with Gatsby. Wilson and Tom are in the same position, which might be dangerous for all of them... In New York, Tom begins to notice that there is something going on between his wife and Gatsby, and he forces Daisy to choose between her two suitors. Daisy, clearly choosing for Tom, is sent to drive back home with Gatsby to prove Gatsby’s inability of persuading Daisy of leaving her husband. In this part of the story, we’re almost certain that the love between Daisy and Gatsby will not work out. However, when Daisy fatally hits a woman on the streets while driving Gatsby’s big yellow Rolls- Royce, Gatsby takes the stand for her. The victim appears to be Myrtle, Tom’s formal mistress and Wilson’s wife. We only discover that it was Gatby’s car which hit Mytle when Tom goes up to Wilson and convinces him that it was Gatsby’s yellow automobile, all under the Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. As a revenge, Wilson goes up to Gatsby’s house, kills him and afterwards commits suicide. And so Gatsby’s great life ends in an awfully miserable way, not a single person, apart from Nick and Gatsby’s father, attending his funeral, not even a message of condolence from Daisy, who ran away with Tom. These traumatic events make Nick realise that, all the characters being Westeners, betrayed their democratic ideals of promise and possiblity by striving for their place in the upper class. The West was always considered the land of promise, gold and success, but now Nick sees that with success come lies, betrayel and persuasion of an unrealistic dream, constantly reaching for more, in search for the better. Gatsby always lived in the past, thinking about when Daisy and he were in love before the war, or in the future, his mind
torturing him by the dreams of their future together, so that seemed to be insensitive for the present, as if it didn’t matter what he had to abandon now, as long as he would live up to his future dreams. This downside of having everything in want for more, did Nick realize that Gatsby’s life wasn’t so great after all.
Book Review
F. Scott Fitzgerald, having written many other renowned works, made a great impression on me with ‘The Great Gatsby’, proving that a complicated matter, the downsides of persuading the American Dream, can be told with a simple love story, There are numerous symbols such as the Green Light, the symbol of Gatsby’s hope for love of Daisy and the Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, relating to the fact that God sees everything and that the past will haunt you forever.
These symbols to me, were like little clues in the story, I knew they meant something, I was only yet to find out what they where. While reading the narrative, I continually felt like I had to solve this riddle, and in the end everything became clear, as though I was reading a detective novel. The hollowness and often desertedness of the Upper Class revealed to me.
Quotes & Eileen’s interpretation
‘It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favour.’ • Nick admires Gatsby’s smiles
‘I began to like New York, the racy, adventurous feel of it at night, and the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women and machines give to the restless eye.’ • a description of New York City
‘There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.’ • Nick refers to the fact that every person can be placed in at least one of these categories. Some are only pursuing, some are both pursuing and pursued. Daisy is pursued by Tom and Gatsby for her beauty and her association with wealth; she lives in a splendid house, has a busy life, and belongs to the Upper Class, whereas Gatsby is both pursued for his wealth as pursuing Daisy and his absurd dreams, which makes him tired, because of their inconceivability.
‘ When the melody rose her voice broke up sweetly... and each change tipped out a little of her warm human magic on earth.’
• Nick hears Daisy singing
‘At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.’
• Gatsby feels heavenly reborn when he kisses Daisy for the first time.
‘Gatsby believed in this green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eludes us then, but that’s no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further... And one fine morning - So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.’ • Gatsby is trapped in the past, when and Daisy had a strong relationship. He cherished hopes and dreams (symbolised by the Green Light) for a reincarnation of the past, with Daisy as his lover. As a result, he yearned for the past, and every day he became eager for more affection. And though Gatsby may have been able to resist greediness concerning money, he did fell in the traps of never having enough. He wanted Daisy to recognize him, and so she did, thanks to Nick’s tea party. He wanted Daisy to be impressed by his huge mansion, and so she was. He wanted Daisy to love him, and so she did. But when he had this all, he wanted Daisy to leave her husband and run away with her. Nick criticizes this greediness, although he may also express a form of respect for Gatsby’s determination and persistence in achieving his goals...
See you next time dear reading friends ;-)
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