Just a warning, this post will contain plot spoilers. If you have not read this book, but intend to, you might want to skip this post for the time being. I am going to try to put a warning up at the top of the page about that, since many of my posts are at least relatively spoilery. If you would like to get more info about The Great Gatsby, click on the title to go to the Amazon page.
I started this book with out any real expectations. I have often found that that is the best way to start reading a book. If you do not expect anything, you are far less likely to be disappointed. It helped that I didn't really know anything about the book itself. As I read, I had many different feelings about the book, its plot, and its characters.
As I began reading, I was struck by the writing style, which reminded me a lot of J.D. Salinger. I actually have only read one J.D. Salinger book, Frannie and Zooey, but the writing seems similar to me. Has anybody else read both of those books? What do you think? As the book went on, the writing style was one of the only things I truly liked about the book.
Now, we should get into the characters, starting with Nick, our narrator. Now, Nick is on of the characters in the novel that we know very little about. As a (quite inexperienced) writer, I must say that I have tried to have a first person narrator who was not the main character, and it failed miserably. It is HARD. I think the way the Nick tells the story is also very interesting. There is obviously a lot that goes on between chapters. In fact, most of the story, time wise, is not actually even ever mentioned. The story itself is just told in a few short bursts over the course of one summer in West Egg.
Now, Gatsby is the obvious character to talk about, but I am not even sure if he is worth spending very much time on. He has been, and will be, analyzed many times over. Still, here are my brief thoughts on him. Gatsby is a fascinating character whom I managed to both feel sorry for and be creeped out by the entire book. To a certain extent, I have to feel like the way things ended for him was the best in the end. I am not really sure that he could have ever been happy, with or without Daisy. At least this way, he got to die to save Daisy, which was, in some ways, what he always wanted to do.
Then, of course, there are the symbols. I can think of many of them off the top of my head, but they are, in my mind, rather over talked about. I did like the green light at the end of the dock, mostly because that is one symbol that I think most people can empathize with. We have all felt that way. If you really want to think more about the symbols, watch these videos, which are each about ten minutes long. In them, John Green (author, and Vlogbrother), talks Gatsby. They are really very good, and also funny. Part One, and Part Two.
Enough on the book. I can't wait for the movie to come out in May! Have you seen the previews yet? If not, here it is. What do you think? Are you excited or skeptical?
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