Book Reviewed: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Metaphorical expressions of the American Dream This book is an emblematic of 1920s America, a classic of American literature. It is often studied in schools and colleges for its exploration of the American Dream, symbolism, and the disillusionment. This fiction was inspired by a youthful romance of Fitzgerald with socialite Ginevra King, and the fun he had on New York’s Long Island in 1922. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest who moves to Long Island, and becomes a neighbor with a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby. Much of the story is about the wild parties and the wealthy lifestyles in New York. It chronicles the lifestyle of the rich, the dreams of the nouveau riche and the ambitions of the working class through the eyes of Nick Carraway. His life and social relationships with other characters such as Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan are featured in this book. Author Fitzgerald examines money in the light of the economic boom in America. Money is divided into two types: new money and old money. New money is the fortune that self-made millionaires like Gatsby have, and the old money encompasses the inherited wealth of Daisy and Tom Buchanan. Author Scott Fitzerald fronts the main characters but discusses how American dream was an illusion for many in the country. This story is about America itself, and not Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway or the Buchanans. This work has provided an enduring platform in high schools and colleges where the imaginations run wild, and there is an abundance of ideas and interpretations. The Original 1925 Edition has about 110 pages, but this edition has 218 pages including some cool illustrations. Gatsby had four film adaptations, with two big-budget and well-known movies: the 1974 version starring Robert Redford, and the 2013 film with Leonardo DiCaprio. The film adaptations have influenced readers’ understanding of the novel, but there is not one best Great Gatsby movie that fully captures the spirit of the book. If we compare this with Lee Harper’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which has just one film adaptation that critics consider worthy of the book, and one of the best movies of all time. One of the weaknesses of this book is it fails to go deep into the jazz age and the life in New York. At this time when the city had new immigrants from Italy, and few decades earlier, Irish immigrants, and of course African Americans who were living in Harlem and parts of Brooklyn. Jewish immigrants from Europe were also in living in Manhattan. It was a melting pot of race, culture and values that ran wild. The city had numerous law and order problems, raising Sicilian mafia, gangs operating in Irish and Jewish neighborhoods, and African Americans caught in the middle. Life was tough, but they coexisted and led to creativity. The Harlem renaissance and inventions of Jazz contributed by African Americans, and tap dance to go with jazz was a contribution by Irish and African Americans. Scott Fitzgerald perhaps pities himself that he did not have the life of Jay Gatsby, or he could not overcome the racial and antisemitic prejudices he had while living in New York. Despite all the positives, and some negatives of this book, this work is not free of the “writing tricks” of a sagacious author participating in an essay competition to win the top prize.