What a book.
I have sympathy for Gatsby, as pitiful as he is. Gatsby poisoned his mind into believing so adamantly that Daisy could recreate her old self for him, and belong to him once again. Because he lived in solitude, he constantly marinated in his desperation to obtain Daisy's affections. This continuous longing became his muse, and the pursuit of happiness was the fuel to the flame. His first mistake was his reason for wanting to become a successful man. He should have been more realistic in his intentions, to retrieve Daisy, but I suppose that's why the whole thing was recognized as his 'dream' right? Dreams are often unattainable, intangible fantasies that humans entertain so that life may not seem so wicked. First conceived as possibilities, dreams solidify themselves into lifelines that we as humans cling to for another chance or something to look forward to, to motivate us.
Gatsby is a darling fellow. His social status is admirable, his aura of mystery is engaging, and he's a polite and hospitable man. But I asked myself throughout this book WHY does he find Daisy so captivating? Well, it truly beats me. Daisy is shallow, selfish, air-headed and incredibly annoying. Every time I read her dialogue in the book I just wanted to skip ahead. This, however, explains part of why she married Tom. He's not an intellectual, obviously. And the reason their marriage faltered so miserably is because the whole relationship was based solely on materialism and what Tom could provide for her. Aside from the blunt truth that he's just an asshole, Tom probably became very bored with Daisy very quickly because they are both incredibly dull beings. They probably never had anything interesting to discuss. Party after party night after night is not how a couple establishes a long lasting, healthy relationship. Neither of them are mature enough for a real relationship though, and they probably never would be. I'm done ranting now though, back to the point - Gatsby's efforts almost immediately begin to fail. We as the audience can clearly determine that Gatsby will NOT get the girl, Tom will NOT back off, Daisy is dumb as dirt, and the book will NOT have a happy ending. Boohoo, so sad.
The whole book is incredibly depressing. Myrtle gets killed, Daisy chooses Tom, and Gatsby dies. The main message as we have said in class: Life sucks, You die. Fitzgerald communicated this point quite accurately if I do say so myself. However, being that IS the point of the story, Fitzgerald isn't necessarily saying that's always how it is. He carefully selected his characters to align with the way he saw the evolving society. I'm sure we all know a Daisy (and we all damn sure know a Tom.) , but not every person is like that. In the 20's, America disregarded its former way of life and made way for a new generation. Things were changing very quickly and there were some folks that didn't agree with the new way of living - money, beauty, alcohol, and the pursuit of the 'American Dream'. This book was Fitzgerald's argument of human desire added to the priorities of an evolving world.
