The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is revealing book about the roaring 20s. It portrays the secrets behind the parties and wealth. It also depicts the boredom of the children of millionaires, who are restless because they never had to work hard to get anything. The members of this group remain like children, too oblivious to what they do, so they can live with the excitement they create to amuse themselves without really realizing the damage they leave in their wake.

Nick is both awed and disgusted by the life of the rich. Everyone wants to be rich and live the privileged life, but scorns their shallowness and scandals. This is still present today with get rich quick reality tv shows and gossip magazines. Rich people are expected to live a wild, extravagent life, but are showed contempt when they do so. It is a way of dealing with lower social classes when you fail to reach the top.

Nick Carraway is an interesting narrator. In the beginning he was unbiased, only intrigued by the extravagent life of the rich. He states facts and does not have a voice. Later on he gets a voice, and everything he writes about is tainted by his distaste for the people. It is unusual for a narrator to change unless he is the main character. Most narrators are unbiased or has one voice which does not evolve. Nick was impassive but developed a strong opinion on that type of life.

A major thing in the novel is social class. More accurately, the difference in class. People some times try to reach much higher than their place. In this book it has them all come crashing down. Both Myrtle and Gatsby overreached their place society had given them. Myrtle tried to act like she was sophistacated and gain class by a man. Gatsby tried to rise above his low beginnings through money. Both of them were crushed because of it and it led to their deaths. However, the people born to high society are kept high and mighty, above the problems of regular mortals. They coasted through life using people to forget their problems and not caring about the chaos they left behind. Both Daisy and Tom were like this; they used Gatsby and Mytle and then dumped them, merely moving on without looking back. People are often striving to go higher up, but if they try to go to far, they and society cannot handle it, and they fall brutally. High Society, like Tom and Daisy, have nothing to strive for as they are on top. I believe this is why they are bored and restless, because they have nothing to obsess them. Tom and Daisy had everything, and so tried to fill their time and get satisfaction from parties, gossip, and travel. It is only temporary relief.

The Great Gatsby brings forth thoughts and opinions on people that one usually does not think of.