Initial Response
The novel, “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was a fascinating read in many ways. Broadly speaking, the themes it addressed were largely unique for me; I haven’t encountered excessive discussion of abundance. The style of writing was another point of interest; Fitzgerald has what I consider to be a highly individual, particular style, the likes of which I haven’t had the pleasure of consuming before.
To me, the tale presented by Fitzgerald seems to warn of an overly materialistic society; one which focuses on wealth and plenty and thus loses the higher aspirations of life – love, connection and self-improvement. Gatsby seems to be a prime example of this; instead of simply introducing himself to Daisy, the woman with whom he is in love, he takes the rather roundabout approach of buying a mansion opposite her house, hoping for her to come along to the lavish parties he hosts, and ultimately resorting to a mutual friend’s artificial construction of a rendezvous between them. As such, Gatsby had become obsessed with the idea of love and of Daisy much more than the woman herself; he had become obsessed with the chase rather than the goal. Fitzgerald then seems to advise the reader against a life which places undue importance on that which is material and therefore ultimately temporary; this aspect is illustrated further in Gatsby’s death, after which the reader is left with a feeling of emptiness at the extravagant parties he used to throw. The impression given is that they were devoid of real meaning.
The main plot line of the story also discusses the theme of gender roles and equality. Daisy seems fairly objectified; indeed, in the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby in Chapter 7, their disregard for her opinion is apparent as they continually ignore her statements as she implores them to become calmer. Gatsby is also unwilling to accept that she has a right to love more than one person; his concept of love is an outdated and highly monogamous one. This is somewhat hypocritical of the male race, given that infidelity is rampant (and treated as regular) in the story. Fitzgerald then induces the reader to expand their notions of love to one that accounts for the inherent complexity of the subject matter.
Fitzgerald’s style throughout the novel takes advantage of the third person narration to present a more objective view of events, albeit with the narrator’s own twist and judgements on the events, as well as certain personal experiences being interspersed with main plot lines. Fitzgerald’s use of the narrator as a tool to skip time sequences also sends a message; though Nick mentions that many events passed between chapters occasionally, the lack of emphasis and description of them implies a lower level of importance – this connects to the idea of focus on the wealthy and their habits; their lush lifestyle takes center stage rather than Nick’s own.
Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, “The Great Gatsby”; the style and themes discussed both appealed to me in their novelty and originality.
Context Notes
