The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
Nick Carraway shares the summer he becomes involved in the disastrous lives of the rich. Seeking to establish himself in New York City after the war, Nick takes a house on Long Island. His small cottage is overshadowed by the mansion next door, and he is introduced to his rich neighbor by his third cousin, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is a bit of fluff from the upper-class exactly like the rest of her circle – utterly irresponsible for any of their actions, a trait that their great wealth has allowed them to get away with. As the city bakes throughout the summer and Nick becomes more involved in their circle, he learns both about what the members of “society” are really about, and gets to know more about his mysterious neighbor.
It was with great pleasure that I re-read this classic. It was even better then I remembered, and it was easy to see why this has become the great american novel – it has it all. I will leave the full on analysis to the hundreds and thousands better suited to do so, but will just touch on a few highlights. Among other things:
- Overall: The book is a great read – well-edited, not too long, plot that keeps moving. The story is unfolded through a series of short views of these people, each scene is compelling, the boring parts are edited out, and the whole picture still feels complete.
- Plot: A wonderful story arc – the reader is distracted by a series of loosely related events that all come together in ways that are totally un-predictable, but feel inevitable. Somehow the reader finds themselves both surprised to find they are at the last page of the book, and yet satisfied that the story is complete. This is a remarkably difficult task for a novel, as evidenced by how few books manage to walk this line.
- Characters: Just as today, the best stories have characters you love to hate, and that you hate to love. Nick is totally sympathetic to the reader, giving us the perfect voyeuristic position to observe the antics of the others, while still preserving our ability to judge them. In doing so he introduces us to a wild cast of characters who fit in their place, and a few well-developed characters who in their own absurdity carry out the main story line, without turning off the reader.
- Themes: Money, rags-to-riches, love, hope, upward mobility, fascination with the rich, this book is the pre-cursor to reality tv of today, but takes many of the essential features, organizes them into a decent story, and presents in a far less annoying format.
