The Great Gatsby - a review

The Great Gatsby



Hundred books you must read before you die features The Great Gatsby, a book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I had heard the praise of this book from many people. So I thought I myself should give it a read. I was surprised to find the book to be relatively short. But in this small book, Fitzgerald has managed to weave a story that is immortal and memorable.

The great Gatsby is set in the Jazz Age of America. The post World War I era which brought with it unrestrained materialism and prosperity. However, it also brought with it, a total lack of moralities and breakdown of Social Norms.

The main protagonist in this book is Nick Carraway, a Yale passout and a Wall street trader, living in New York. Jay Gatsby is the mysterious next door neighbor, whose mystery remains unsolved even at the end. Nick is the narrator and is often biased in his judgement and his views. This book describes the "we are above everything, even the law" attitude of the rich people. This attitude still prevails and its easy to identify with it. There is also a subtle mockery of the hypocricy of these people when it comes to basic things like trust. They all vote for trust but it is actually a feeling that keeps filtering in and out of their lives, used according to their conveniences.

All the characters in this book give no apparent resons for their actions. Lust, greed perhaps being the only driving force behind them. Be it Daisy and Tom Buchanan or even Jay and Nick. Each of them lives a life that is convenient to them.

This book is an easy read. The narration of Nick Carraway makes it a great story, resembling real life. No justifications are offered for the actions of the protagonists. There is only the interpretation of the actions by the narrator.

I cannot cite any reason as to why I was haunted by this story long after I had actually finished reading it. A must read story.