If you’re someone who is into reading English classics or like unconventional love stories then I’d highly recommend you to check out the book – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The narrative of the novel is set in the 1920’s which is described by the author as ‘time of over-indulgence’. The story follows the extraordinary and lavish life of Jay Gatsby who is portrayed as mysterious, unsettling, rich and young by the narrator of the story Nick Carraway. Gatsby claims to be a self made billionaire, he is mentally driven by emotions of desire and desperation. Nick who is originally the neighbor of Mr. Gatsby finds himself intertwined in the life of Gatsby, Daisy and Tom, thereafter ends up closely witnessing the dreaded human nature. He helps Gatsby in pursuing Daisy. He is lowkey awestruck and superficially disgusted by the materialistic people that he meets in long Island. Daisy is the woman who Mr. Gatsby is longing for. She is married to Tom who is adulterous, hypocytic and rich. Daisy is stuck in a dysfunctional marriage, but still she refuses to leave her husband for the sake of their daughter. She drowns in self pity and looks out for love and solace which she receives from Gatsby. As the story progresses through the novel, the true and hidden colours of each character is revealed in a very subtle yet profounding manner.
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther . . . . And one fine morning — So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”
These are my absolute favourite lines from the book. These lines not only successfully explain Gatsby’s yearning for perfect love but also shows the delusional human nature in broad light. The author tries to strike down the Great American dream.
The author of the novel did a fantastic job in elucidating each character with detail and precision. He made intelligent portrayals of Gatsby and Daisy. Every character in this story has his/her own set of flaws and inhibition and are meticulously used as embodiment of human nature. The premise of the story follows how Gatsby yearns for the love of Daisy and in the midst of chasing his love Gatsby ends up in a great unruly web of lies, betrayals, and love. Gatsby’s heart is struck between love and obsession.
The book Great Gatsby is to me an emotional rollercoaster. It portrays the human mind and emotions with such acute detailing and briefing that you’d probably end up falling in love with not just the book but also with the characters in the novel.
I first read the book in my 11th class which is tentatively 2 years back. I randomly chose this book from Amazon because it was said to be one of the greatest American novels and also partly because it was in my budget. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoy this book for it’s ambitious narrative and characterization. This novel always will have a special place in my heart. I feel this is a perfect book for someone who is new to the genre of classic literature. I rate this book a 4.6 out of 5.