GREAT GATSBY

 MISCONCEIVED SYMPATHIES

One of the greatest books of twentieth century, GreatGatsby, written by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is a tragic love story peering through a shimmery and luxurious golden net. Everything glitters here on the surface, but the ‘self’ is still imprisoned in the golden-cage like body. Things are not as they seem at the first sight and the reality transcends to unfathomable depths.

The first thought that comes trotting into one’s mind, reading this novel is: how complex life could be and that life, in fact, could be reduced, just, to the choices that one makes, similar to something what happens in the book, where, Gatsby’s and Daisy’s choices wreaked havoc in their lives.

Anyone who has probably, even merely, heard about ‘Jay Gatsby’, automatically finds Gatsby’s sad, disappointed and rejected heart to be beating in their chests. One instantly develops sympathetic feelings for Jay Gatsby. We feel sad for Jay and start questioning whether Daisy even ever loved Jay or was he just another human toy for her.

Notwithstanding all miserable feels, Jay doesn’t escape the scrutiny of discerning readers. Jay was overambitious and was, perhaps, expecting a lot from Daisy, despite his low financial stature as compared to her.

His love for Daisy was absolutely his whim and not her choice. Yes, she loved spending her time with him and, perhaps, would have even married him but, I, certainly cannot judge her wrong for not wanting to wait for someone who couldn’t communicate effectively his true feelings. We, above all, cannot pretermit the fact that Gatsby did indeed lie, or rather, didn’t tell her about his real monetary conditions.

Daisy, in choosing someone equal to her for marriage, is not only asserting her right but also her freedom, as a rational and decisive individual.

After re-emerging as a wealthy business man in the plot, he blatantly expects Daisy to divorce Tom and instead marry him, since, he has now managed to earn ‘enough’ money, not once, thinking about considering her choice and views on this and whether she still loves him or not.

Not even once are we given lucid evidence of Daisy actually loving Jay. It almost seems as if Daisy was, somehow, confused about Gatsby. She doesn’t know what to think of him. He shows concern and affection towards Daisy, then suddenly disappears giving bare minimum information as a reason for leaving and then doesn’t return for weeks and months.

Jay runs after an intangible, though beautiful dream, about which he is unconsciously aware, but doesn’t heed to the signs which constantly inform him about the crude reality of life. We, as readers, instantly sense out that Gatsby may achieve whatsoever in his life but Daisy would never give him a status above her husband Tom.

Jay Gatsby’s life is an interesting manifestation of the American Dream of the time, where everything is as close as one’s nose but as unpalpable as fog. I see the American Dream here as Gatsby’s too high reaching expectations from life. If he would have been happy with what he had and had not spend his time running after something beyond his league, he undoubtedly would have been more contented.

My Rating: 7/10😊

A sure read!!!👍