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.
When I read this book I never thought about how snobbish everyone was. The way you described Jordan was very true and very eye opening to me. I always viewed her as a somewhat filler character in the novel and never paid any attention to how she acted. I totally forgot about the fact that she cheated in a golf tournament. Also I would absolutely agree about what you had to say about the plot line. In the beginning I truly thought there was going to be no plot line and then things started getting intense between Daisy and Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel that Jordan's purpose in the novel was to show how superficial the era that they lived in was. As you noted, she cheated and was plain rude. That Nick would tolerate this disgrace only proves that he was desperate to fit into the times even if that meant having a girlfriend who was rude to him, and having a significant other that he probably did not even like. He felt that he needed to have a girl on his arm to fit into his new social circle, so he just accepted her flaws without actually approving of her. Also, you claimed that the beginning of the novel was somewhat slow, but I believe that Fitzgerald's exposition style was important to the novel because it set Nick up as a reliable narrator, it introduced the readers to his lifestyle, and in the second chapter, it introduced the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, which becomes important symbolism throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteMr. Zotovich,
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with much of what you said. This novel was the most intriguing novel I have ever read for a school assignment. It also clearly demonstrates how snobby rich people can be. Though not all rich people are snobby and showy, Fitzgerald clearly thinks they are. This novel was written during the Great Depression, a time where money and wealth was limited. A high of 25% of American citizens were unemployed, and a much larger number was earning less than was deemed necessary by the government. However, with all the destitute people, there were also the few that remained very wealthy. Many of these people boasted of their possessions, refused to help the poor, and seemed snobby to the rest of society. I think Fitzgerald talks so poorly of the rich because he is criticizing the wealthy of his day and age.