Category: Gatsby

We all have come to know and love The Great Gatsby, but what is it that makes him so great? Gatsby sure made himself seem significant. He has all the glitz and glamour of a fabulous life. Gatsby had a grand mansion, luxurious parties, vital connections, and alcohol. To an outsider, it would seem that Gatsby had it all; but did he really?

When we first meet Gatsby, we would think that he is everything greatness consists of, but nothing we see is real. Everything Gatsby does is fabricated all for one person: Daisy. If Gatsby has to live his entire life in a reality that is not his own, that does not seem very great to me. Sure, Gatsby does seem to have fun living his lifestyle, but behind closed doors, when he is all alone, does he think it is worth it? When you go to bed alone every night with no true friends, I would not define that as great. 

All of the lavishness aside, Gatsby was indeed just a hopeless romantic looking for love. He lived his life for someone else and never got a chance to just be him. If Gatsby had done as he truly pleased in life, then he could be defined as great. As we get to know Gatsby’s true heart throughout the book, we come to love him. If he had opened up to the world, he might have had people at his funeral besides Nick, his dad, and the random people he never paid attention to. We can all learn from Gatsby’s life. If we need to perform for the people around us to keep them in our lives, those are not true friends. 

Gatsby died almost entirely alone, without the girl he had fabricated his whole life for; there is nothing remarkable about that. Gatsby made people think he was great, but ultimately, is greatness defined by your net worth or an authentic life?

Chandelier, Pintrest, Accessed September 10 2023, https://pin.it/5HcfcXB.

If you’re like me, you might be wondering, how is “The Great Gatsby” still relevant today? Some people might say it’s because of the movie, but why did the producers think “The Great Gatsby” was famous enough to deserve a movie? To discuss this, we must go back to when “The Great Gatsby” first emerged in 1925. When F. Scott Fitzgerald originally released his book, it was not an instant hit. Most people said it did not stand up to his past books. In fact, it was never a hit in his lifetime. Fitzgerald passed away in 1940, believing himself to be a failure in the author world. “The Great Gatsby” did not become famous until the time of World War II. The book experienced an abrupt surge in popularity because the books were passed out to soldiers.

All this being said, why is “The Great Gatsby” still famous almost eight centuries after it became popular? Some people say it’s because of how the book portrays the “American Dream.” The American Dream” is the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. In simple terms, anyone can get what they work for. This gives Americans the hope that they can one day achieve great things. So, do people love” The Great Gatsby” because it gives them the dream that their life can be better one day? After reading the book and seeing where the American dream takes Gatsby, I would not want to have that lifestyle anyway. “The Great Gatsby” could also be famous because of all the different media forms it has been put in. It has been put into a movie, referenced in many things like TV shows and songs, and even used for tattoos. I don’t think there is any one reason The Great Gatsby is still famous, and I wonder if this “timeless classic” will forever be “timeless.”

Champagne Tower, Pinterest, accessed August 31, 2023, <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/8233211823707968/>.