Every time I read the Great Gatsby I get frustrated. I mean it’s full of metaphor, shady characters, and cause and affect that some times really make you wonder who these people really are. While I am reading it I feel like I am doing a chore but after word I reflect on it.
Yes reading the book is a task in itself but as Alyssa and
Devon pointed out to me in previous comments these people are actually like some real life people.
There are people out there who fall in love with a woman and try to raise their status to extremes just to win their love back. There are also men who don’t appreciate or care about their wives until other men covet them. There is always that naïve neutral character in life that you always just want to say, listen you are stupid for believing everything you hear. Then there is that bazaar self centered gossiping fool of a girl who no one ever trusts or can take seriously. So I applaud Fitzgerald for making his characters seem like real people.
Lastly the other thing I would like to explain is something that I said in class because I do not think I was understood due to the fact that I am terrified to speak in public and I stumble on what I am trying to get across.
I was taught the first time around that
Wilson was the only character in the book that was really putting in 110%. He married his wife. Even though he was poor he still loved her. He tried to support her as best as he could.
Wilson worked every day in the garage trying to earn money to give Myrtle a better life which is what the American Dream really is. It’s the chance to improve your status and standing in life in terms of society and wealth. Myrtle harmed the American Dream by going out with Tom and slapped the American opportunity [dream] in the face. Because of this she was killed. This does make sense to me. I hope it makes more sense to everyone else now. I didn’t know that how I explained it in class was so out there.
February 1, 2007 at 1:00 am
I agree with you about the whole Wilson thing and that he didn’t deserve to die. He was the only character that was a hard working guy, working for his money and married to his wife not knowing until the end that his wife was cheating on him with Tom. Also Myrtle was killed by cheating her husband with TOm and thats why she died and why she was portrayed so gruesome of how she died.
February 1, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Being this the first time I have read The Great Gatsby I can relate to feeling frustrated with it. I can’t imagine having to read through it twice, although I think if I did I would pick up on some other things that I didn’t see the first time. However, I do not really plan to pick it up again. I think that your reasoning behind Wilson being the only true hard worker, and fighting for what he wants, the American Dream, totally makes sense. You explained that well. I would definately agree with that.
February 3, 2007 at 1:06 am
I agree with you that some of the characters in the book seem like some real life people. I think that they more so resemble a lot of people in todays american society, but some are far fetched in their actions. Wilson seems like the only normal character, but you don’t see people like him as often as you hope too. Tom was fairliy normal because he was married wealthy, he did have a mistress but you hear alot now about divorce and cheating. I think the characters that seem really out there are Gatsby and Daisy. If two people wanted to be together that badly, or if she really had feelings for him and not so much Tom, then she’d either be by herself or just have feelings for one person.
February 3, 2007 at 8:10 pm
You are right that the characters do seem real, odd and creepy, but lets face it, there are tons of those “real” people out there. You are also very true about Wilson, although toward the end, the whole locking his wife in a room and then going to kidnap her thing wasn’t so cool. And again, you are very right in saying that Myrtle did slap the American Dream in the face, but in the same respect, so did Daisy and Tom and Gatsby… Daisy and Tom could have had it made, and Gatsby sure as hell could have found a wife in the 5 years he was trying to get ready to steal Daisy away from Tom.. Anywho… good way of turning it around… I like your points.