This is one of the many classics that I'm sure slipped through my net during high school. Somehow I never had to read it. I picked it up over the winter break and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I would have liked the book regardless, but living in the exact area of Long Island that is the focus of Fitzgerald's book certainly made it more poignant.
Of course the story is really about Gatsby and his desperate love for Daisy but for me it was all about the narrator, Nick Carraway. Nothing new there; Fitzgerald's social conscious and commentary of the time is supposed to come through that character and he does it well. As much as Nick comes to be understand the shallow and dark side of the glamorous community in which he finds himself, he also wades deeper into it then he should. However, Nick does maintain his integrity by sticking to insisting on honesty whenever he was concerned.
While nothing so dramatic as this novel has occur ed in my own experiences here on "East Egg" I certainly see the same duality. It is mind boggling to think of some of the events and behavior that goes on among the elite of the Gold Coast. I'm not talking about murder and intrigue so much as the big parities, big spending, and big personalities that are clear echos of Gatsby's world. I must also add that among this I have found some of the most humble and generous people I know. In my own work I have to balance being a part of this world to enough to communicate and understand those around me but also maintain enough distance to make sure that I provide a true representation of my own experience and reality.
One of the greatest shocks about my time on Long Island is to see how quickly these two worlds diverge. The differerence between one small town and the next that nearly overlaps it couldn't be more stark. There is "another side of the tracks" more visible than any place I've seen. Crossing the LIE or going from "Old ____" to just plain"____" may as well be crossing an ocean as people only minutes away are living in worlds apart.
Nick Carraway was excited and enchanted by the life he suddenly saw before him. He always knew it wasn't really his but played along anyway. I think he was a bit relieved to have reason to leave it behind. It makes me wonder about Fitzgerald too. Apparently, the book has always had problems with proper editing because he was off gallivanting in France when it was published. He was knee deep (if not even deeper) in the very life he was criticizing. Some may say this is nothing more than hypocrisy but I also see it as offering a bit of hope. Even those people leading dramatically different lives can quickly find themselves understanding or even in place of the other. In fact, Gatsby's journey took him to both sides of the track. He had a hard time finding happiness in either place. Nick, who knew himself, seemed to be fine in both.
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