"The Great Gatsby" Book Review

December 10, 2013

The Uncontrollable Desire 

By Julia Seck

The Great Gatsby

By  F. Scott Fitzgerald 

180 page

     Fitzgerald classic fiction novel "The Great Gatsby", is a plot twisting, romantic drama taken place in Long Island, New York. Fitzgerald captures America in the roaring 1920's  and does and excellent job of portraying the setting, where business is booming and everything is larger than life it self.  However, he  focusing on the negative aspects of this time period such as corruption, greed, and vanity with in, portraying these idea through the character Jay Gatsby.

     The story is told by the character, Nick Carraway,  a young Yale graduate who moves to New York in search of business. Shortly after renting a house in Long Island, he realizes his neighbor to  be a wealthy, but mysterious man by the name of Jay Gatsby, a man whom no one has ever laid eyes on. Invited to one of the man's grand parties, Nick is determined to find the mysterious host and is quick to learn of the many rumors about Gatsby.  As the night progresses, Nick discovers Gatsbys  and learns of his love for, Daisy, Nick's cousin. Agreeing shortly after to help rekindle the old flame between the two, Nick  uncovers Gatsby's true identity and his many hidden  secrets. As the story develops, Nick becomes unsure with whom to trust realizing not everyone is as charming on the outside as they appear. The novel captures the ugly truth  that everyone has a price in which they can be bought as Nick struggles with his own morality and those around him due to desire  of wealth and power through greed, corruption and vanity. 

     The fact that the theme, everyone can be bought nor anything is perfect is understood even in today's society making the novel a classic. People struggle with their own morality, constantly pushing their own boundaries, wondering  how far they are willing to go to get something they desire. The question "does the end justify with the means" is portrayed through out the novel allowing the reader to reflect on their own self and morality. This question is still replicated in every day, today.  The book its self is even filled with motifs such as desire, vanity, and corruption which are presented also  within our own society today. The fact that Fitzgerald wrote the book 88 years ago in 1925 and the themes are still relevant concludes this book is timeless and therefore a classic, as this book is relevant for any given audience in a modern period.

     Personally I enjoyed the book as the plot was unpredictable and thicken as the book developed. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy dramatic and romantic books but also enjoy a mystery element as well. Personally I found the book to be a bit challenging to read. The book is narrated in first person by Nick Carraway and is structured so his thoughts jump around the page as well as the vocabulary being slightly sophisticated. For this reason I would not recommend this book to a younger audience. However, I believe the author has done a wonderful job in capturing the setting and his characters. The book is interesting and exciting, and overall very enjoyable. I highly recommend it and worth reading.