Read Twenty-Sixth on June 21st.
Somehow I eluded the opportunity to read this classic novel in high school. Rather unfortunate. There's a reason why it's a classic!
Oftentimes when I read a book quickly, such as this, it's hard for me to sort through my thoughts and form an opinion. So I must admit that my thoughts and impressions may be unsteady.
I find it so interesting that this books was written and takes place in the Roaring Twenties. The theme regarding the past, present, and future plays intriguingly into the history of America. The subject of the book, a man named Jay Gatsby, was born without privilege; those deficiencies were filled with dreams of grandeur and pomp. He, like the young America, rose above his lacking circumstances and found himself the center of attention. He was rich; he had everything that was vain and extravagant. Everyone said he had a bright future, that he was meant for bigger things. His life mirrors the history of America, starting from poor circumstances and somehow, supposedly fueled by the Dream that anyone can transcend poor circumstances and turn his/her life into the idealistic, perfect version. Optimism reigned in the Roaring Twenties. It seemed, to America herself and to her neighbors, that the sky was the limit and that nothing was stopping the country's ascent. Then, in a haunting foreshadowing, Gatsby's life took a dark turn, just years before the Great Depression starting in 1929.
This American Dream can motivate one to greatness. It is the reason for Gatsby's greatness. His wealth was conceived by a dream borne of discontent of present poverty; poverty of finances, poverty of love, poverty of fulfillment. This Dream seems to be a flawless success when possessed by a great mind. However, it can be taken to an extreme. Gatsby, and I can only imagine others well-endowed with charismatic and gaudy qualities, have fooled themselves into thinking that literally no obstacle can stop them, even to the point of foolish attempts of obtaining the impossible. Despite the sentiment that many motivational and inspirational quotes may imply, the impression that I am receiving from the narrator and vicariously from the author is that there is a limit to dreams. There are things that one cannot be taken for oneself. That thing is labeled by the narrator; that thing is the past. No matter what we do in this life, no ambition can obtain the past. The American Dream is about the future; it's about reversing our position in life to be able to perform our abilities and talents without obstacle or interference. The Dream of advancement and ambition is foolishly mistaken for a dream of immortality and invulnerability; the dream of omnipotence; the dream of Godhood. In the man Gatsby, this was the sole reason for his demise. It was the catalyst that ruined all that he had sought to obtain. He wanted something that he had before, but presently could not re-obtain. His overzealous desire was his only vice; the great irony of the Great Gatsby is that he assumed he could move forward while incessantly focusing on the past.
However, Jay Gatsby is not the bad guy of the story. He was the result of his own failure, yes, but he also shows qualities that are too often found lacking in most people. His quest of obtaining what he once had but no longer does may be foolish, but must have haunted him forever after had he not pursued. What he sought for was love, the companionship of a woman who had caused in him surpassing awe and wonder. Unfortunately for Gatsby, the obstacles facing him were insurmountable: the vanity of others. While he did indeed have his own massive wealth, he flaunted it for the fancies of a proud woman. For, in the past that he could not reverse, it was his lack of wealth that drove her away in the first place.
Is there a lesson that we can learn from Gatsby? We cannot obtain everything we want. It is improbable and foolish. However, we do have capacity to achieve greatness, and that force that drives us to greatness should be focused on the meaningful, not the simply ostentatious. We should exert our energies to achieve those things that we cannot be happy without, those things that fulfill us and make our lives complete. Instead, we throw ourselves completely into those things that thrill us for a moment, but will soon, almost imperceptibly, fleet away and leave us wistfully yearning for more.
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