Frank Foley
Frank Foley
THE GREAT GATSBY
Fitzgerald, F Scott
Published: 1925
Category: Novel
Themes: love, memory and idealisation; the dark side of the American dream; the past as irrevocable.
Overview
Regarded as one of the great American novels, Gatsby is a classic tale of poor boy made good in the pursuit of love. BUT wrapped in Fitzgerald's symbolism and intricate patterning, and exploring themes of idealism and the American dream, it becomes one of the great works of 20th century literature.
Frank's highlight!
I love this book. So picking out one moment is tough for me. There's the opening and, of course, that timeless ending. There's Gatsby's parties, and Nick's telling the true story of James Gatz, after Gatsby's pseudo confession. But the passage I'll pick (see long quote below) is Nick meeting Gatsby for the first time, unaware it's him, but dazzled by his smile. It's a smile that promises everything, but that, actually, in the end, consists of nothing.
Life-affirming / uplifting message
Gatsby's longing for Daisy is romantic and attractive - but it's not based in reality. I tend to see Nick's returning to the mid-west and writing a book about the charismatic, but ultimately naive, James Gatz, uplifting in a real way. Sometimes all we can do is tell our story.
Life wisdom
Have dreams, chase them by all means, but beware idealisation - Over five years, after their brief tryst, Gatsby turns Daisy into a perfect image - and idealised, perfected version of the real young woman he once knew. His belief that he can repeat the past, shows that he is caught in the trap of his mind, and ultimately leads to his tragic death.
A Personal Note
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Quoted passages
QUOTE 1: "He smiled understandingly - much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced - or seemed to face - the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favour. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. Precisely at that point it vanished - and I was looking at an elegant young rough-neck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he introduced himself I'd got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care." (p.49)