City News

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a fictional novel based on American society during the Roaring 1920s and takes place in fictional cities called West Egg and East Egg in New York, both home to very wealthy people. The story is viewed from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a person who moved to West Egg in pursuit of making money in the bond business, and who is characterized as being very non judgemental of people’s character. From Nick’s point of view, readers are taken into the disillusioned and immoral society of the wealthy people in West and East Egg. We are initially introduced to Tom and Daisy Buchanon when Nick goes to visit them and we quickly learn that Tom is cheating on Daisy for a woman named Myrtle. We are then introduced to Nick’s very wealthy neighbor, Jay Gatsby, whose background is unclear and likes to hold extravagant parties in his huge mansion. The story follows Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of love and how it ultimately results in tragedy.

The theme of immorality is constant throughout the story as we see more infidelity, with the priorities of many of the characters being to maintain a good social appearance rather than being actually good people. We also see themes of a divided social structure. The rich live in East and West Egg while the poor live in the “Valley of Ashes”, a run down stretch of land that has been wasted by industrialization. It symbolizes the process in which the indulgence of the wealthy results in the poor being left in their mess. One significant component in this story is the amount of symbolism. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard and are a recurring symbol throughout the story. They represent God’s disdain for the immoral society created but also his lack of action and decision to only observe as we see the villains of this story end up winning by falling back on their wealth while the poor and faithful suffer. However, the most important theme of all about the story is likely Fitzgerald’s criticism of the American Dream, making it appear as something only but a dream that pushes people to their destruction.

Something I really liked about the book is the amount of surprises. There are many points in the story that reveal shocking information that make the story turn in a completely new direction. I also enjoyed how the book develops the characters. For example, we see Nick initially as an impartial and non judgemental man, but constant exposure to the corruption of West and East Egg society transforms him, ultimately causing him to view its society with disgust and driving him to leave.

Overall, this novel is a great story that has a bunch of surprises as well as gives an in depth view of 1920s society as well as strong criticism toward its practices. The Great Gatsby is definitely a 10/10 book. Even though the ending is not pleasant, I still heavily recommend it. The way it challenges social practices and immorality will transform your view of the world.

Checkout The Great Gatsby from the Newport Beach Public Library.