Personal Review

            The Great Gatsby was by far one of the most intriguing novels I have had to read for school. Even though the book started off on the slower side with an abundant amount of details, it began to pick up pace until the exciting climax. Most of the main characters are extremely detailed, and as a reader I was able to directly step into their lives and almost be there with them as they went about their business in the novel.

            Throughout the novel I thoroughly enjoyed Fitzgerald’s writing style. Almost every sentence was rich with detail, which is usually a turn off for me. However, Fitzgerald did it in such a way where it kept me on the edge of where I was sitting reading it, anticipating what was going to happen next. Fitzgerald keeps you entertained from start to finish, without too many dulls in the middle of the story. The plot line, although it may be absent at first, become as clear as day and keeps you intrigued in every step it takes. One of the things that I did not like about this novel was that Jordan almost disappears without much of a reason to why Nick stopped talking to her.

            The thing that stood out to me the most about this novel is the pure snobbiness that some of the characters have. For example, Jordan Baker is a stuck up lady, who is mediocre at best at golf, having to cheat her way to win. She mistreats Nick, and treats his as garbage. Also, when Gatsby dies, none of his business associates come to attend his funeral. They are all too busy with prior engagements, and Klipspringer even asks if Nick can have one of Gatsby’s butlers, even though Gatsby is dead, to deliver Klipspringer’s shoes to him, rather than attend the funeral. Even Gatsby had his snobby moments such as when Daisy came over and Gatsby shows her his extremely large collection of shirts. That is absolutely insane, and radiates pure snobbiness.

            Overall, I found this book to be extremely good. It was a great read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fitzgerald was able to effectively display the American lifestyle in the time period in which the story takes place. Fitzgerald did an amazing job in writing this novel, and proves to be one of the best writers from the Lost Generation.

Text Connections

          Arguably the most over-bearing theme of The Great Gatsby is the need to achieve the American Dream. This is relatable to almost everyone in America. Almost every character in The Great Gatsby has some dream or goal that they want to accomplish, however they face many difficulties along the way that usually prevent them from obtaining these goals. Usually, these difficulties that the characters face are much higher than they are, and prove to be too much than they can handle.

            Perhaps the best example of this is Jay Gatsby himself. He went from a career in the army and a janitor at Oxford, to one of the wealthiest men in West Egg. While obtaining eternal riches, and being able to have whatever he wanted in his life, he loses out on true companions. He has only one true friend, which turns out to be the narrator of the story, Nick. While going off to war, Gatsby’s love of his life choses to marry another man, and Gatsby loses her too. On the way up to living a successful life, Gatsby acquires prosperity, and ultimately the American Dream.

          Almost all Americans want to achieve much of the same that Gatsby achieved. They want the true definition of the American Dream, which is prosperity, happiness, and success. Even though they might start at the bottom, everyone deserves the right to believe that they can make it to the top. As said by Florence King, “People are so busy dreaming the American Dream, fantasizing about what they could be or have a right to be, that they’re all asleep at the switch.” What this is stating is that while Americans all feel like they can achieve this eternal fame that is the American Dream, they fall short due to not taking action or to not catching a break. This can be derived directly from The Great Gatsby, and be found in the lives of every American today.

Syntax

• ·      Interrupted Sentence: “He was a son of God---a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that---and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (98).

In this example of syntax, Fitzgerald uses a large amount of interruptions, and brings in more info with each thought, which causes the reader to not fully understand what Fitzgerald is talking about until you reach the end of the sentence. It brings in a lot of details, and different thoughts of the narrator and throws it all into one sentence.

• ·      Declarative Sentence: “Don’t talk so loud” (88).

Throughout the novel, when Gatsby speaks to Nick, Fitzgerald uses long eloquent sentences to show the sophisticated nature that Gatsby is usually characterized by. However, is this short, stern sentence, Gatsby is seen being more on edge then usual. The reason for this is because Gatsby is nervous to see Daisy for the first time since the war. Fitzgerald is showing how Gatsby began to break down when he was in a nerve-racking situation.

• ·      Cumulative Sentence: “I began to like New York, the racy, adventurous feel of it at night, and the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women and machines give to the restless eye” (56).

In this example of a loose sentence, also known as cumulative sentence, Fitzgerald shows his forte in writing. Much of The Great Gatsby is written in long eloquent sentences, either in the form of cumulative, or interrupted. Fitzgerald does this to show that there is so much to see, perhaps a reference to the Roaring Twenties, which is the time the book takes place. There are so many thoughts and ideas that are going through the characters heads, in which they need time to explain it all to the reader of the story.

Diction

            Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses an abundant amount of diction to help better show the love that Gatsby has had for Daisy. Throughout the story, Jay Gatsby threw numerous parties. However, later in the novel the readers realize the reason for these parties was for Gatsby to lure Daisy to a party and hopefully re-kindle the fire that they once had for each other.  Gatsby describes the way Daisy looked before he left for the war as “gleaming like silver” (150). Fitzgerald used “silver” to show how Daisy is extremely beautiful and valuable to Gatsby. After the war, Gatsby “tried frantically to get home” (150-151). Fitzgerald uses “frantically” to show that Gatsby wanted nothing else than to go home and see the beautiful woman that he left behind. Earlier in the story, when Gatsby and Daisy secretly meet for tea at Nick’s house, Gatsby is extremely nervous to see Daisy for the first time in a long time. While Nick and Gatsby were setting up for tea, Gatsby looked around with “vacant eyes” (84). Fitzgerald uses the word “vacant” to show that Gatsby is so preoccupied with thoughts in his head about Daisy, that he is not even consciously present with Nick. Once Daisy shows up and Nick leaves the two of them alone for a little while, Nick comes back in to see Gatsby “literally glow[ing]” turning from his old nervous self to a “new well-being radiat[ing] from him” (89). Fitzgerald uses “glowed” and “radiated” to show that once Gatsby and Daisy were back together, however brief it may be, Gatsby was happy because he had found the love of his life again. Fitzgerald uses a great deal of diction to show that Gatsby was yearning for the moment that he would be able to see Daisy again.