The Great Gatsby | Book Review | 1925 | F. Scott Fitzgerald

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) was an American novelist and short-story writer. Fitzgerald was widely regarded as one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century. Best known for his 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explored themes of wealth, ambition, love and the American Dream in the Jazz Age. His works often mirrored his own life, marked by a turbulent marriage to Zelda Sayre and his struggle with alcoholism. Despite the critical and commercial challenges he faced during his lifetime, Fitzgerald now stands as a literary icon. To date, his works reflect the excesses and disillusionment of the Twenties.

SYNOPSIS (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, is set in the Jazz Age of 1920s in America. The book explores themes of wealth, excess and the American Dream. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest who moves to Long Island, New York, to pursue a career in finance. He rents a modest house next to the lavish mansion of the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby, a man known for hosting extravagant parties every weekend.

As Nick gets to know Gatsby better, he learns that Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy Buchanan. Buchanan is Nick’s cousin, who lives across the bay with her husband, Tom Buchanan. Daisy and Gatsby had a romantic relationship years ago, before Gatsby left to fight in World War I. However, Daisy married Tom, a wealthy, arrogant man who is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, the wife of a local mechanic.

In fact, Gatsby’s immense fortune and flamboyant lifestyle are part of his plan to win Daisy back. He believes that if he can impress her with his wealth and power, she will leave Tom. With Nick’s help, Gatsby and Daisy reconnect and begin an affair. However, Daisy is torn between Gatsby’s romantic idealism and her loyalty to Tom, who grows increasingly suspicious of their relationship.

Tensions reach a climax when Tom confronts Gatsby at a hotel in New York City. He exposes Gatsby’s background as a self-made millionaire involved in a dubious business dealings. Daisy, overwhelmed, sides with Tom. On their drive back from the city, a distressed Daisy accidentally hits and kills Myrtle with Gatsby’s car. Gatsby takes the blame in an attempt to protect Daisy.

In the aftermath, Tom tells Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby was responsible for the accident. Believing Gatsby wasn’t just the driver but also his wife’s lover, George tracks Gatsby down and shoots him before taking his own life.

In the end, Nick reflects on the tragedy and the moral decay of the wealthy elite. Gatsby’s grand dream of love and success come to a bitter end. Few attend Gatsby’s funeral, and Nick returns to the Midwest, disillusioned with the empty pursuit of wealth and the corruption of the American Dream.

WHAT WE LIKED ABOUT THE GREAT GATSBY

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, is a penetrating critique of the American Dream. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s Jazz Age, the novel explores themes of wealth, class, idealism and the moral decay beneath the glittering surface of society. This makes it one of the most enduring works in American literature.

The characters in the book are enigmatic, each one representing a moral aspect of the society and its phoniness.

At the heart of the novel is Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire whose desire to win back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan, drives his obsessive pursuit of wealth. Gatsby indulges in fraudulent business dealings to fund his extravagant lifestyle. In fact, his way of life symbolizes the material excesses of the Roaring Twenties. Daisy, far from the pure, romantic figure Gatsby envisions, comes over as rather shallow.

As a book, The Great Gatsby critiques not only the pursuit of wealth but also the moral corruption that comes with it. Characters like Tom Buchanan and Daisy epitomize the carelessness of the upper class. Tom’s arrogance and infidelity, coupled with Daisy’s passivity and self-interest, highlight the emptiness and moral bankruptcy that Fitzgerald sees in the world of the rich. They are indifferent to the harm they cause. This is never more apparent than in their quick abandonment of Gatsby following his death.

All in all, Fitzgerald’s novel remains a timeless exploration of disillusionment, ambition and the dangers of equating wealth with happiness.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER ABOUT THE GREAT GATSBY

Some readers may find Nick’s role as a narrator problematic. His romanticization of Gatsby, despite the latter’s involvement in illegal activities, not to mention his obsessive pursuit of an unattainable dream, complicates his reliability as a moral voice. In fact, Nick’s admiration for Gatsby’s unwavering hope and idealism, even in the face of inevitable failure, contrasts with his condemnation of the Buchanans and others representative of the established wealthy class. This tension raises questions about the novel’s overall stance on ambition and idealism. It makes readers wonder if certain aspects of Fitzgerald’s understanding were flawed.

The novel’s portrayal of gender also invites scrutiny. While the society had a different outlook on women in the twenties, certain depictions may be problematic in the modern context. For example, Daisy often comes over as a passive figure, used primarily as a symbol of Gatsby’s dream rather than a fully realized character. Her shallowness and willingness to retreat into her privileged world may reflect the societal constraints women were subject to during the 1920s. That said, one cannot help noticing how these limitations limit her complexity in the grand scheme of things.

QUOTES

I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited—they went there. They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island and somehow they ended up at Gatsby’s door.

The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain. I had to follow the sound of it for a moment, up and down, with my ear alone, before any words came through.

CONCLUSION