The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an amazing book about love, luxury, and murder. Taking place in the 1920’s, this book lets us all look back to the roaring twenties, a time where anyone would do anything to live a luxurious life. Jay Gatsby, the main character of this book is no exception. Gatsby’s past is a mystery to the vast majority of people whom he invites to his extravagant parties in his mansion. Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor, and humble bond salesman begin to become friends and learn more about Gatsby’s past. One of the things Nick finds out is that Gatsby is in love with his cousin, Daisy. Daisy is a beautiful lady who is already married to Tom Buchanan, however, his love for her is unwavering. This book gives us a look at the scandalous lives of those living in the roaring twenties while taking exciting twists and turns.
Throughout the book, Fitzgerald uses symbolism to help convey his messages in the novel. My favorite example of this is the green light at the end of the dock. It occurs in many different chapters and what it represents changes throughout the novel. What it mainly represents, Gatsby’s love for Daisy and how it would be very hard to achieve. At one point the light is described by Gatsby while talking to Daisy as “If it wasn’t for the fog… we could see a green light… at the end of your dock..” (Fitzgerald, 94), the fog represents the disconnect between them and how a relationship won’t happen. Finding the symbolism throughout the book was very enjoyable and gave me a deeper understanding of the characters and the story. Another thing I loved was the way the author was able to describe every part of the story in such detail. It was easy for me to be taken back to the twenties and get to know all of the characters.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I felt that there are some things that could have been done better. I loved how the author described everything in such detail, however, I think that at times it was excessive and became slightly redundant. One other thing that bothered me while reading this book was the pacing. In one chapter it would be about a small dinner party at Daisy’s house and that was basically all that happened and another chapter a murder-suicide would happen and be resolved in the same chapter. I wish the author would have taken a little more time with some of the major plot points and focused less on some of the things that weren’t very exciting. Despite these few gripes I had about the book, it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of it. This novel has easily become one of the best books that I have read recently.
