I'm back, more importantly, I finally read
The Great Gatsby this weekend. First impression? I really appreciate Fitzgerald's imagery. I find it so much more fun as a reader to "see" every detail of the novel in my mind's eye. I'm also not a fan of Daisy at all--I think she's a tragic waif. Sounds harsh, doesn't it? Well, I agree with Nick by the novel's end that she and Tom are full of utter carelessness. I also found the novel full of tragic irony. It's Gatsby who gets it in the end, Tom and Daisy are off Scott-free (with the exception of what I hope are sleepless nights forever for Daisy's idiocy) and Wilson kills the only man who was probably ever nice to him when he stopped to get gas!
Last time I read this book was sometime between 7th and 10th grade...honestly I don't remember exactly. It's on the sophomore reading list at a local private school here (good to have teenage neighbors) but that entire time period in my life is fuzzy and nondescript (and it's OK to leave it that way). Of course I remember the general story and how can you forget Robert Redford's portrayal of Gatsby (sans the horrid Aquanet-hair circa 1974)?
What I realized is that I find this novel more appealing and parts of it more identifiable as an adult versus being a teen. I didn't go to parties in high school, so how was I supposed to find humor when someone got tanked and a woman ended up crying her heart out at karaoke? College was a different story. Like Nick, one of my more amusing pastimes in college was to be the silent observer at the parties...taking in the hilarity produced by imbibing an exorbitant amount of alcohol. The party descriptions in this novel are wonderful; I can almost imagine myself on the sandy beaches of Gatsby's mansion wearing chiffon and a cloche while sipping a gin and tonic. Sounds great about now, actually...
I would be lying if I didn't (like most everyone has at some time or another) admit that I've driven by enormous homes with amenities far and wide, wondering what it would be like to be on the guest list for a soiree on a Summer's eve. But also like Nick, I hope that my Mid-Western roots would be strong enough to ground me against the endless frivolity and carelessness of the uber-wealthy such as Daisy and Tom. Unfortunately, I would agree that at least in my life's experience I've found to be true more often than not that money doesnt' buy happiness and money doesn't guarantee manners or a conscience.
So now that I've re-read an American classic, I look forward to the re-make of the film out Christmas Day, 2012. I think Leo will be a convincing Gatsby, don't you?
