Frankly, I was disappointed with The Great Gatsby. I enjoyed the wit and writing style of Fitzgerald immensely, but it was emotionless. It's social commentary from a time I can't imagine; about issues that are unrelatable to me. Gatsby may have once been in love with Daisy, but that love soured over time into a motivation for acquisition. The only character remaining that has any redeemable qualities is Nick Carraway, yet his emotional involvement is limited to a few short paragraphs describing his relationship with Jordan Baker. Looking at the big picture, Gatsby represents the American Dream; he rose from nothing in an attempt to win over Daisy, and died for it. It's possible that I don't have the intelligence or imagination to understand what Fitzgerald was truly trying to say, but the only message I received is that happiness is not acquired through being industrious, or winning the affections of surrounding people; it's much more elusive than that.
Alec, I agree that Fitzgerald's message is that happiness does not come from material things. So, I would like to elaborate on your point of how Gatsby attempted to win over Daisy, and died. I believe Daisy was symbolic for money and social status and Gatsby's obsession of trying to win her heart clearly shows how Gatsby is obsessed with this idea of drawing attention and being affluent. Also, Gatsby's path from being a poor farmer boy to being a rich, well-housed man, represents the "American Dream," but it all spirals down to his death as he goes too far in reaching for money and attention, as he goes too far in reaching for Daisy. Like you said, the message in this novel is that happiness does not come from material things, but rather something more.
ReplyDeleteI find the author's emotionless style to be a reflection of the attitudes of 1920's America. Fitzgerald's writing style seems to portray the characters as somewhat shallow, self-centered, and generally unconcerned. These could make up part of the author's critique of the consumerist culture present in the 1920's, where the accumulation of wealth and power led to a general apathetic appearance to the super wealthy. Fitzgerald's own experiences with wealth may have lead to his portrayal of his characters as generally unconcerned and carefree, however this cannot be proven. I do agree that the explicit definition of happiness is not covered by the novel.
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