The Great Gatsby

About books, there is a rule that I have always followed:  If I remember it, it's good.  Most books, while they may engross you in the moment, seem to blend together with the others as soon as you place them on the shelf.  Plots have been redone so many times that some argue that no writer is even capable of having an original storyline anymore.  While I do not pretend that I have read every book in existence, I still continue to be surprised by the occasional, original idea.  F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which I first read when I was sixteen, is one of those memorable books, and for this, I celebrate Fitzgerald's genius.  That does not mean I like it.

Don't get excited.  I did not say I hate it.  Fitzgerald has a way of writing that makes you feel as if everything is beautiful, even the ugly.  He makes me want to slip into the body of even the horrid Myrtle Wilson just so that I could be a character that intrigued him.  The way he writes, it seems that he would have been a man with whom women often fell in love because they would long to be one of his female characters and know that, no matter the woman's flaws, he would also uncover the beauty.  It is said that his wife, Zelda Sayre, was his muse.  I wonder how closely she resembles Daisy.  I read that Zelda refused Fitzgerald's first proposal of marriage because he she did not want to be poor as a writer's wife.  Hmmm...

Not just the characters, but The Great Gatsby excels in its scenery and innuendos.  The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg clearly represent the eyes of God, seeing all but without interference.  To Gatsby, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock represents Daisy herself.  His every action is an effort to win her affection and love in the same way that a ship at sea is guided by its lighthouse.  Furthermore, Gatsby was so obsessed with Daisy that I wonder if his "last swim" wasn't really just a suicide attempt.  Perhaps he and Wilson had a nice little chat, became fast friends, and Wilson did him a favor.  Like the lost ship out of sight of the lighthouse, neither man could have existed without the woman he loved.  (How ironic that of the two other central male characters, Nick seemed unable to love any woman while Tom appeared able to love them all!)  Regardless, every page seems to add another layer to hidden nuances.  Although his phrases may appear frivolous on the first reading, further examination reveals that Fitzgerald was a writer who wasted few words, for he intended significance in every line.  While reading The Great Gatsby, I underlined descriptions and constantly reread pages--not because the book is difficult to understand, but because I did not want to miss anything.      

Another credit to the book is the era.  F. Scott Fitzgerald was fortunate to produce this book in the 1920's, and yet, I wonder, could The Great Gatsby have been centered in any other time?  Was there another moment in history that offered the same opportunities of fortune and carelessness?  Here in the early 21st century, do those with long histories of wealth cling to rigid, societal rules (although they hypocritically defy them in private), and snobbily refrain from association with the "newly rich", the celebrities, the poor, and the non-Aryan?  Maybe so, but from what I gather, the "Daisy"s of the 21st century resemble Paris Hiltons.  Less conservative and, certainly, less dependent on men. 

Let's face it, if Fitzgerald wrote the book today, Daisy would have either run off with Gatsby when he was young and poor and told her parents to screw off, or she would have divorced Tom years ago and bought her own mansion with the settlement money.  Then, when she did cross Gatsby's path again, and he told her about his obsession for her for five years, she would have slapped him with a restraining order.  Women today are a lot more cynical, and Gatsby is clearly not in his right mind.

Every time I read one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books or short stories, I feel like there should have been more to it.  There are too many unsolved mysteries in The Great Gatsby:  What the hell did Gatsby do for a living? Did Daisy ever love Gatsby?  They seem so oddly matched, did Tom ever really love Myrtle?  At the end, was Tom buying jewelry for another woman? Whatever happened to Nick, or Jordan?  What happened to the dog in the apartment?  Who inherited Gatsby's fortune?  He was such a nice guy, why didn't anyone come to Gatsby's funeral?  I always feel like Fitzgerald opens plot lines that he never closes, but what repels me from a book, seems to also be its virtue.  Like I said, I didn't forget The Great Gatsby as soon as I turned the last page.  On the contrary, I will probably end up reading it again someday.  I'm sure all the answers are in there somewhere...