The Great Gatsby

   I read 'The Great Gatsby' for the first time when I was in Year 11, aged 15, and I really didn't like it. When I got to Year 12, my English teacher told me that The Great Gatsby was one of our compulsory coursework texts. So, I re-read it, still holding all these negative thoughts about it and after closer study of the book, I now love The Great Gatsby and see why it is constantly hailed as a literary classic. I also got an A in my coursework, holllaaa. I think the reason why I disliked it so much before was because I wasn't mature enough to fully understand it but it is amazing how much a person can grow in the massive jump from Year 11 to Year 12.

  The Great Gatsby is often considered F Scott Fitzgerald's greatest work and it chronicles the capitalistic and materialistic world of the 'Roaring Twenties' in America after World War 1. This was a time of loose morals, money, prohibition, crime and a strong belief in the American Dream, themes that Fitzgerald explores in his work. Although The Great Gatsby is quite short, a lot can be taken from it. The story is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a man who is somewhat detached from the world of the affluent. His neighbour is the mysterious Jay Gatsby (the novel's title adds to this mystery, making him seem like a magician) who hosts lavish parties in order to catch the attention of his old flame, Daisy Buchanan (Nick's cousin), who lives across the bay in 'East Egg', whereas Nick and Gatsby live in 'West Egg'. It is implied that Daisy rejected Gatsby in the past due to his lack of fortune, making her his prime motivation to become a millionaire. The different 'Eggs' emphasize the disparities between 'Old Money', those who were born into wealth like Daisy and her husband, Tom Buchanan, whereas West Egg is for the 'New Money', those who had just made their fortunes. The Great Gatsby follows the titular character's intention of re-doing the past (reuniting with Daisy) and the consequences of the worlds of the 'Old Money' and 'New Money' colliding.

    When most people read The Great Gatsby, it is the character of Daisy Buchanan that they hate but for me, it was Gatsby himself. Yes, Daisy is extremely selfish and heartless with a high opinion of herself but in my opinion, Gatsby contributes to this by practically worshiping her, inflating her ego even more. However, you can't help but pity him slightly- he is only in love but this 'love' is questionable as he barely knows Daisy. Does he just want her as a living trophy to add to his already plentiful 'accomplishments'? In the novel, Fitzgerald explores themes such as the hypocrisy and callousness of the upper classes, a theme that is particularly evident in the novel's denouement. Another very important theme in The Great Gatsby is the corruption of the American Dream and this is shown through the way that many of the novel's characters have lost their moral compasses, Gatsby especially, who has gained the Dream through possibly illegal means. Fitzgerald stresses a very old message: money does not always bring happiness- neither Gatsby nor the Buchanans are content with their wealth.

  On the surface, The Great Gatsby is simply the ill-fated love story between Gatsby and Daisy but on a deeper level, it is so much more and a strong commentary on the society in that time and how over-indulgence can lead to a fall and in reality, the consumerism lead to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

  I'm very very excited that there is another film version of The Great Gatsby coming out this year. It is directed by Baz Luhrmann and I love his work, Moulin Rouge especially. It is an all star cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby (Robert Redford just didn't do it for me in the '74 adapation), Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan (I mention her here) and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway (Spiderman, anyone?). I'm also a huge fan of 'Gossip Girl' and I think some of the characters could have been inspired by The Great Gatsby. I mean, there's the whole Upper East Side (East Egg) vs Lower East Side (West Egg) thing and I surely can't be the only one that sees Serena van der Woodsen as Daisy and Dan Humphrey as Gatsby/Nick, right?

 Anyway, I am deviating from the book.To wrap this up, The Great Gatsby is great, even though the eponymous protagonist might not be. This post has been quite long because I just have so much to say about it. I'd really recommend it but be sure to read it with an open mind, even if some characters end up irritating you, *cough* Daisy *cough* Gatsby *cough*. However, in my opinion, a book is a good book if the characters strongly affect you.

Rating 4.5/5 ****

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Gatsby-F-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/0241965675/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365642486&sr=1-3&keywords=the+great+gatsby