Gatsby's G's

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 After having finished reading The Great Gatsby this weekend, a few things stood out to me. While of course the book probably does not depict exactly what life/society was like, it gives a good image because the story was largely based off Fitzgerald's own life. 

Money plays a large role in the dynamics and relations of the story. When Gatsby was young, he and Daisy initially had fallen in love, but Daisy eventually moved on to Tom. The difference between Tom and Gatsby was money. While Gatsby was poor, Tom had the advantage of being born into wealth and high social status. Daisy moved on, Gatsby didn't. He had Daisy as motivation in a way to earn more and more money. 



Once Gatsby had the wealth, Daisy felt her love reignite for him but only temporarily. Daisy still liked Tom more for his social standing despite Gatsby having tons of money and material items.

Also Daisy kept switching up between Gatsby and Tom and I feel like she was a major cause of the conflicts in the story. I can't be the only one who dislikes Daisy. 

However, money is also what helped Tom hide from his crimes. At the end of the story, Nick narrates that Tom and Daisy were able to retreat into their wealth and let other people clean up their mess. 

Fitzgerald suggests that while money has its powers, it ultimately does not replace love. Even with immense amounts of money, Gatsby wasn't able to win over Daisy. On the other end of the spectrum, Wilson who is broke loses his wife to Tom, a more wealthy man. Myrtle probably never loved Wilson and also never loved Tom, but just loved his money and social status. 

I think Gatsby's determination and loyalty is both inspiring and stupid. On one hand, his perseverance is what makes him great. He has a dream and will go to any length to obtain it and will not settle for less. Nothing else mattered to him; his wealth meant nothing if he couldn't have Daisy. On the other hand, his determination was quite stupid. Gatsby believes that his wealth can somehow change what has already happened, but it is clear that it is of little use. He simply cannot accept the past and tries to battle with the passage of time, which in the end leads to his death.   



Comments

  1. Yungeun (Daniel) LeeOctober 15, 2023 at 12:15 PM

    I also agree with your sentiments towards Daisy. I think she's entitled, stuck-up, and frankly doesn't deserve Gatsby's love and affection. I also liked how you mentioned how delusional Gatsby was, and how he failed to realize that he couldn't force someone to truly love him.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Olivia JacksonOctober 15, 2023 at 12:19 PM

    I really liked how you showed two different perspective on Gatsby. I think Gatsby being unable to accept that the past is in the past was one of his greatest faults, so I’m glad you highlighted that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mithun NandhakumarOctober 15, 2023 at 2:48 PM

    I like your take on Gatsby as he is a character that you can’t help but admire but also resent for the extreme stupidity of his actions

    ReplyDelete
  4. Arnav ChittiproluOctober 15, 2023 at 3:35 PM

    I enjoyed how you talked about the imapct of wealth and money as one of your focal points in your post. I liked how you mentioned how money can have a lot of power, but it cannot replace love. This theme is important to consider since many people in our society believe that money and wealth can replace love.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 15, 2023 at 4:41 PM

    I like the two sides you brought to Gatsby's determination. I personally also dislike Daisy because she's just a troublemaker. Money does okay a big role and I think you explained that well

    ReplyDelete
  6. Shayuri PatelOctober 15, 2023 at 4:54 PM

    I especially enjoyed the ways you described the two different perspective on Gatsby. I also really liked your take on Gatsby.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Prisha PachpandeOctober 15, 2023 at 8:23 PM

    I really liked how you analyzed the end of the book, and expressed your opinion on the different characters. You also developed a strong overarching moral about how money doesnt define love, and you supported it with your analysis of Tom and Wilson!

    ReplyDelete

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