An Indictment Against Riches and Wealth — “The Great Gatsby”
Well, well, well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve returned to Medium. Around the world, we’ve been entering and exiting a “prison” which has been initiated by Daniel Andrews. It’s made life so much harder to organise, and that would also include my reading and my Medium blog. So, I would like to apologise. A bookworm friend of mine actually told me about how Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” actually reflects the times we are going through (I really ought to write a story on that ..). Enough with the ramble, let’s tell about my most recent reading, a classic: “The Great Gatsby” by the renowned F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I’ve heard about this novel for quite a while and I finally pushed myself to take it up and see what makes everyone go crazy about it. What I really like about this novel is that it is alluring and will make us question whether wealth is something valuable? Many of these characters display this nonchalance to their surroundings and manipulate their status to their own uses. I haven’t yet introduced any of the characters, but this quote from the affluent Daisy shows that she can yield her powers in any way she desires, in some way like a dictator. In the specific scenario, it’s a sweltering heat:
“Open another window,” commanded Daisy, without turning around.
“There aren’t any more.”
“Well, we’d better telephone for an axe — — ”
Of course, the reader like myself questions the level of sarcasm that is being used by the author, but it simply hints to the lack of wit the rich have and how they think they can use anything to their power. Thankfully, if you have read the novel yourself, you would know that no axe is telephoned for … phew! Like my other stories, there isn’t really that much use for me to just let the cat out of the bag and do spoilers. After all, Wikipedia may as well use cohesive language to simply “retell” the events that happened in this novel. There are one primary themes which have some level of complexity to unpack. Learning about decadent wealth can be simply served by reading the novel, READ IT!
The Varying Aspects of Love
Love, is not always as simple as person 1 loves person 2, marriage etc. the story is over. I don’t need to dwell on that to much. If your a student then you must know the many forms of love can come in. There is platonic love, in which two friends love each other in a friendship way (if you want a reference to a film, then have a look at the AMAZING “Bend It Like Beckham”). Then there is a quote which Shakespeare says, that is “the true course of love is never smooth”. Funnily enough, Romeo and Juliet is a prime example, or if yo are craving for some poetry, then take a look at The Highwayman.
In the Great Gatsby, we see the ways in which love can be a manipulative power than controls people to the limits. A prime example of this is Jay Gatsby, who is always seeking the love of Daisy, although she may have been married to Tom Buchanan. Jay Gatsby was a poor man, living off a drug industry, until he was inherited with millions of dollars for him to have a penthouse, waiting for the love of Daisy. These events may not be enough to truly show how mad he is for Daisy, and how mad Daisy is for Gatsby. Take a look at this quote:
Nick: “I hear you fired all your servants.”
Gatsby: “I wanted somebody who wouldn’t gossip. Daisy comes over quite often — in the afternoons.”
The great parties which Gatsby held were all positioned to please Daisy when she would arrive, Gatsby inviting so many different actors and stars. It’s truly upsetting to see how Gatsby slowly internally destroys himself just to pursue after Daisy, just like how he fired all his servants. I’m going to spam another quote cause why not.
Nick: “And yet I couldn’t believe that they would choose this occasion for a scene — especially for the rather harrowing scene that Gatsby had out- lined in the garden.”
Conclude
There is no more to really say, but that it has some both complex language and two strong themes to explore. Although it may not make sense, at the end it really fits nicely into a puzzle. Most of us know that books aren’t always that happy ending, it sorts of ends with a gunshot, or someone looking into the distance …
I’ll commit myself to keeping you all engaged, happy reading!
