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Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Recovery Reviews: The Great Gatsby

It's been a while. The past few years have been tough for me to say the least and I guess I'll treat this as a way of finding myself again, however goddamn cheesy that may sound. For the next few blog posts, I shall write reviews of my favorite books, movies, TV shows, and what not for... well, just for fun. Now, I'm not an expert at writing reviews so consider the next few posts as fun and amateurish, although not-so-crappy analyses. Welcome to Recovery Reviews.

The following is my review of the classic American novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Pursuant of my intense desire to improve on my vocabulary, be less ignorant, and have a more meaningful life, I googled several reading lists online and looked for books that were labeled as 'must-reads.' Almost every list that I came across to immensely praises F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby for its great literary narrative, so I checked it out first. And, boy, did I make the right decision.

Since writing plot summaries isn't my thing and I wouldn't want to spoil this great novel for those who haven't read it yet, here's The Great Gatsby in a nutshell: http://www.shmoop.com/great-gatsby/summary.html

At the outset of the novel, I am immediately hooked into the way Nick Carraway narrates the story. The first line goes, 'Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you had.' Although this line comes from Nick's father, it right away gives you the idea that Nick is the perfect character to tell the story of Gatsby for not only is he the closest person to the enigma that is Gatsby, his credo of non-judgmentalism makes the novel's delivery honest and objective, hence Nick 'Care-away.' At the same time, this 'reserve-all-judgments' philosophy gives Nick (and consequently the reader) the chance to unravel the mysteries and stories behind the characters, especially the protagonist, in a way that is fueled by what he calls a 'matter of infinite hope.'

An infinite hope may very well be what Gatsby possesses with regard to his relationship with Daisy. Even more, he desires to control time and forever cherish what he believes they have or had as a couple. Gatsby wants to remove his status in the past while inconveniently resurrecting the 'love' between him and Daisy. Inevitably, Gatsby, who is nouveau riche, realizes in the end that his past would always haunt him. I believe this theme of the novel suggests that humans are historical beings and it is a very daunting task to try to escape one's past. The key is to continue to move forward, while being cognizant of the past events that have molded one to who he is now.

Otherwise, people would continue to create false images of themselves and the world, however difficult to maintain they may be. Gatsby, for the entirety of the novel, personifies this preoccupation with sculpting an exquisite, classy, and more refined version of himself by holding grandiose parties, showing off expensive clothes to Daisy, and all that jazz.


Removing all the symbolic and historical significance of The Great Gatsby, I think it's a pretty sad story at its core--a man clinging to a hope he can never reach, visited by a past he seeks to forget. And for all the depressing undertones behind this American classic, it nonetheless showcases how truly great Jay Gatsby is, or could have been, had he focused his energy and aspirations on a hope that he can grasp, however counterintuitive that may be to him. If only he faced what was chasing him and let go of that which was getting away.

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