Gatsby was in my opinion one of the best texts I have read so far in highschool. The novel is not particularly intimidating cover to cover, but it has depth that reaches far beyond that of many much larger, more ‘sophisticated’ books. The sheer beauty of everything in the book- the people, the houses, the cars, the clothes, the music, is almost too much to take in so quickly. Fitzgerald’s imagery is flawless in describing it all so clearly one can almost reach out and touch it, and he manages to include all of the detailed imagery that he needs without rambling or digressing from the topic too much for a simple description. The action itself is slow, but the richness of the life and the people fill in all the voids created by a lack of pace. The concept of overall failure to achieve one’s life goal is an interesting one, that everything Gatsby has worked so hard to achieve, chasing after a fatally flawed person, results only in his own death. The hope though is what is the inspiring part of the book, it makes it infinitely more relatable. Everyone falls short of something they tried to achieve somewhere in life, just often not in such a dramatic fashion as Gatsby. The romanticism of being young and wealthy and free contrasted with the stark realities of heartbreak and life are what set this novel apart from stories that take one route or the other- a sad story that ends sad or a happy one that ends happy. Gatsby, although it transitions into a harsher realistic view as it progresses, still leaves me feeling satisfied and hopeful, perhaps even vindicated that we may never reach our highest dreams and aspirations. But that won’t stop us from trying. Why should it?
I think most can agree that, like you said, The Great Gatsby is one of the more enjoyable novels that we are required to read in high school English classes. Fitzgerald's talent is shown throughout the novel with his ability to illustrate every scene, character, and feeling to the most intimate level without drifting away from the main topic. I appreciate that you highlighted the difference between The Great Gatsby and most novels, where Fitzgerald's unique contrast sets his novel apart from others. At the end of your review, I really enjoyed how you illustrated the contrast of Gatsby's fall to that of real life where Gatsby's is exaggerated and a fall in real life is often less theatrical. I also felt "satisfied and hopeful" at the conclusion of the novel because of similar thoughts you described―that falling short shouldn't keep you from your dreams but rather it should encourage you to try harder. After all, once reached, that dream that once seemed impossible to attain, will be even more satisfying with knowing how hard it was to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteIsaac-I 100% agree with you-in that this is by far one of the best novels we have read so far in our school career. The attraction that I had to the novel was the extremely high reaching goals that all of the characters had. I feel as if they had-in my best attempt at wording this-innocent greed. The characters and their hopes and dreams reached into me and took hold of my heart. It seemed as if they would stop at nothing to achieve what they wanted, both pure and evil. But not only did the characters stubborness intrigue me, but the true human characteristics. These people were some of the most successful in New York, and one would think that people with such success would be flawless, but this book revealed that sometimes the people with everything will stop at nothing until they have lost it all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that the constant hope that thrived through Fitzgerald's words is, as you said, "infinitely more relatable." It is very true that we all have hope, whether it is for small things or large. I think being able to relate to certain aspects of this book very much made it once of the best books we've read throughout high school. (Although, most events are exaggerated for juniors in high school from a different time period.) I also very much enjoyed how you ended your review with a rhetorical question. It really made me think and realize that it is true we many never reach our highest dreams, but that should never stop us all from trying our hardest.
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