The Great Gatsby

By: Hunter Kenthack

“The Great Gatsby” …. Where to begin? It is noted as one of America’s great literary classics. It revolves around high society during the “roaring twenties.” Despite what we see when we crack open the cover of the work, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s gem is not a piece that was viewed favorably by most people during this time; many even viewed it as out of touch. F. Scott Fitzgerald was afraid of being forgotten. It goes without saying that he had not been forgotten. I must admit that my favorite quote in the book doesn’t take place in the “book” at all, rather it takes place in the preface, and it states, “complexity for the sake of complexity is bad writing.”

Without disclosing every detail, I knew about this book a while before I read it. There was reference to it in the movie “Man on the Moon.” This is a movie about the late entertainer Andy Kaufman. Kaufman is known to have read this particular book on stage cover to cover for his audience as one of his acts. 

The narration of the book is shown through the eyes of our main character, Nick Carraway. The book takes place in “East” and “West Egg” surrounded by water of Long Island. Nick is new to this area; new people often make great narrators because they seem to know as much as we do. He lives in a small house on the shore across from his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who owns a dock. Daisy lives with her husband, Tom Buchanan. They were rich. 

Another main character includes a family friend of the two, a woman named Jordan Baker. I suppose you’re still wondering where the title “The Great Gatsby” evolved. I know before I read the book, I had wondered about that for quite a while.

It seemed as though the mystery around the title was bound to have a deep meaning. I must admit I was a bit disappointed to discover it is simply a name; however, the man who has that name is very mysterious. “Jay Gatsby” lives next door to Nick Carraway. Gatsby lives in an extravagant mansion with an abundance of cooks, gardeners, maids, and anything his heart could desire. It’s a big deal when Gatsby sent one of his men to invite little ‘ole Nick to one of his grand parties in which not even the Buchanans could afford to host. It’s even bigger of a deal when Gatsby takes an interest in Nick, even wanting to have tea at his house with him and Daisy. Here is a big issue: is it Nick that he wants as a friend or is it Daisy that he covets?

Another mystery is how Gatsby makes his money. There are plenty of rumors. Some say he was a German spy during the war. Some say he has ties with the government. Some say he owns an oil and gas business. Some even say he killed a man.

The mystery and romance aspect holds your attention, but parts of the story are just simply displeasing. We learn early in the plot that Tom is having an affair with a woman named Myrtle. Myrtle is married to a poor man, George, who works at a garage. More than once Myrtle, and well as other characters talk about how sad and embarrassing it is to be married to somebody who doesn’t have much money. Daisy says on multiple occasions how rich women don’t marry poor men. Daisy also tells Nick how she wants to get he and Jordan Baker together, but “it may just have to be an affair” because she would never marry a man who doesn’t have any money. 

When Daisy gave birth to her daughter and admitted that she hoped that her daughter was nothing but a “pretty fool,” neither Tom nor Daisy really seemed to prioritize their child. Tom is openly racist. He openly discusses his anger towards the advancement of any other ethnicity, but “the dominate race,” the Nordics. 

A lot of the characters are simply unlikeable especially as the story progresses, so I understand being turned off the book. The plot reminds me of  “The Notebook” and “Titanic.” Of course, it does have an abundance of differences compared to these two examples.