The Great Gatsby (A True Classic)

Finally I've been given a so-called 'classic' novel that I truly enjoyed. Up until now I've believed that classics were only classics because they were great for the audience and time period they were written in, but The Great Gatsby has shown me something more.


Synopsis:

The novel is told from the point of view of Nick Carraway, a simplistic and seemingly unimportant character, and it follows the lives of seven adults: Nick, Daisy, Gatsby, Tom, Myrtle, George and Jordan. The main plot to the novel is the love story between Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby went off to war and Daisy eventually married Tom instead of him. In an effort to win Daisy's love, Gatsby invents himself around the persona of a rich and well-liked man. Gatsby moved into a giant house across the bay from Daisy's house and waited for her for 5 years. Finally, when Nick, Daisy's cousin, moved in next door to Gatsby, Gatsby had a chance to finally reunite with Daisy. When Nick invites Daisy over for Tea and Gatsby shows up the novel explodes with drama and emotion.

Why is it a True Classic?

I'm going to call The Great Gatsby a 'true classic'. Why is that, you might ask? The novel sets itself apart from all of the other 'classics' I've read for many reasons.

All throughout the novel are themes of love, materialism and greed. Fitzgerald (the author) did an excellent job capturing the image of society during the 1920s. Each character represents the different types of people found in the era: Myrtle, Tom, Daisy and Jordan represent the many personalities of rich people during the era, while Nick represents a sort of middle-class and George represents the poor. Above all, Gatsby represents a group of people who believed that nothing mattered after the war, a 'lost generation'.

Gatsby spent 5 years holding onto Daisy only to lose her, and himself. George lost his wife, Myrtle, and killed himself. Nick lost Jordan. Conversely, Tom ran away with Daisy.

The novel ends with Nick alone in the world, no family, no friends. Nick, who seemed unimportant throughout the novel, end sup being the most important character. Nick represents the true 'lost generation' of the 1920s.

Symbolism:

To further explore the concept of the 'lost generation', Fitzgerald continually refers to the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg, which are on a billboard. The eyes are described as old a fading. The rest of Eckleberg's face is gone and the eyes are slowly fading with it. The billboard stands tall over the road and stares at you as you drive by. The eyes represent God. The fact that they have faded away represents the lack of faith and loss of hope in the 'lost generation'.

(Original Post on November 13, 2011 at: http://dft.ba/-BSMeyers102 )