"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly into the past," concludes Fitzgerald in his novel, The Great Gatsby. In the end, life will almost always fail to fulfill our deep dreams and desires, and Gatsby was living proof of that.
Written from the perspective of Nick Carraway, new resident and outsider of the fabulous lives of those around him, The Great Gatsby is a beautiful piece of art that addresses the seemingly magnificent parts of life for the wealthy- parties, mansions, splendid food, etc.- and the darkness that hides beneath the surface of the sophistication- affairs, constant drinking, suspicious deaths, etc.
Wealthy people, especially Jay Gatsby, looked good on the outside, but behind the scenes, their lives were honestly pretty dark. Gatsby's past speaks to this. In love with a woman he can never have, Gatsby's entire past life is a secret that people throughout the story have decided to draw their own rumors about. Eventually, readers themselves get a glimpse of Gatsby's story through the budding relationship of Nick and Gatsby later in the novel; however, a lot of his past is kept secret and could potentially have been lies crafted by the gentleman. I personally don't think that Nick is ever even really sure if he believes most of what Gatsby says about his story until the climax of the novel (but I won't share any spoilers on what happens there ;)).
Fitzgerald beautifully weaves together the story of Jay Gatsby, addressing both the loveliness and darkness of this world and the society and culture of people living the 1920's. The Great Gatsby is officially one of my new favorite classic pieces, and I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads.
Everyone should go read this novel! My copy of the book is only 182 pages, so it was definitely a quick read for me, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Written from the perspective of Nick Carraway, new resident and outsider of the fabulous lives of those around him, The Great Gatsby is a beautiful piece of art that addresses the seemingly magnificent parts of life for the wealthy- parties, mansions, splendid food, etc.- and the darkness that hides beneath the surface of the sophistication- affairs, constant drinking, suspicious deaths, etc.
Wealthy people, especially Jay Gatsby, looked good on the outside, but behind the scenes, their lives were honestly pretty dark. Gatsby's past speaks to this. In love with a woman he can never have, Gatsby's entire past life is a secret that people throughout the story have decided to draw their own rumors about. Eventually, readers themselves get a glimpse of Gatsby's story through the budding relationship of Nick and Gatsby later in the novel; however, a lot of his past is kept secret and could potentially have been lies crafted by the gentleman. I personally don't think that Nick is ever even really sure if he believes most of what Gatsby says about his story until the climax of the novel (but I won't share any spoilers on what happens there ;)).Fitzgerald beautifully weaves together the story of Jay Gatsby, addressing both the loveliness and darkness of this world and the society and culture of people living the 1920's. The Great Gatsby is officially one of my new favorite classic pieces, and I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads.
Everyone should go read this novel! My copy of the book is only 182 pages, so it was definitely a quick read for me, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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