Response #8: Gatsby's Greatness

In my opinion Gatsby himself wasn't all that great. However, the story of his life was. He's great in the sense that he sacrificed a lot for the woman he loved, including his reputation and even his life. He's not great because he forsaked his morality and his character to become a bootlegger, just to become the ideal lover of a superficial woman. I guess in a way, you can kind of call him a fool, a fool for giving so much to someone who's unworthy of his love, but a consistent fool who's never strayed from his one purpose and achieved great things. For that reason, that's why the novel was titled The Great Gatsby.

I think Nick forgave Gatsby more than others for the same reasons I just described. Nick understood that love made Gatsby blind. He also knew that it wasn't Gatsby who crashed into Myrtle, it was Daisy. Gatsby can't be blaimed for not stopping the car because his undying love for Daisy would naturally urge him to cover up for her. I also think Nick liked Gatsby because they were the same. They were "west eggers", the supposed lowly people whom the "east eggers" looked upon with disgust and disdain. Gatsby was passionate and true to Daisy, this fact alone made him distinctive among the rich.

I liked the novel, but I hated the characters. I can't really say that I've LIKED any one of them. Nick was my favorite and even with that, my feelings for him are neutral. He's kind of a bystander/loser guy that can't really do anything to help the situation he's in. But at least he didn't get on my nerves. What I liked about the book was the message it transferred. Judging from Fitzgerald's life, he must've really understood what it was like to be rejected because of social status or wealth. Therefore, he effectively critiqued the upper class and the decay of morality.

The movie REALLY made everything come alive. It successfully portrayed the stupidity of Daisy, oh BOY was she annoying. Myrtle was stupid too, she looked like a rabbit-dog, and Daisy looked like a monkey. Daisy's "money" voice plus her dumb, ditzness made me wanna tear my hair hair out. The movie also made Daisy extremely narcissistic/egotistical. All she talked about was her, how good she looked, how everyone wants to kiss her, blah blah blah. Sarah M and I were saying "OH SHUT UP, NO ONE LIKES YOU!! YOU MONKEY!!". We never finished the movie though, we left off right after the Buchanans get home after the Myrtle crash.
- posted by Maria Gao @ 2:49 PM