Griping about Gatsby

      This is the Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach. It’s one of my favorite places. It was also frequent haunt of F. Scott Fitzgerald. So, obviously, it’s also home to countless Gatsby references, which brings me to a point of contention. 

It bothers me, like sincerely irks me that The Great Gatsby has come to epitomize glitzy happenings in 1920’s America. How can so many people possibly try to sum up the high points of any decade up with such a dismal book? I ask myself this question absolutely every time I hear the word Gatsby (which is by no means infrequent). I mean, I get it to some degree...things in the 1920’s were really cool (despite the pervasively bleak reaction to WWI, but that's another story...), so everyone wants to talk about them & watch movies about them & have parties like them. Basically, everything that was really stylish then is essentially still really stylish, just with a more expensive price tag. Without this decade I would have to wear corsets & long skirts in summer time. I also enjoy that when I cut my hair short I feel both sassy and socially acceptable, and don’t even get me started on God’s gift of TV and talking movies.  These are all lovely reasons to party like it’s 1922.

However, just because Fitzgerald is a pretty famous author from this era, people should stop resorting to filling up syllabi or TV screens or even social calendars with his most famous book.  My teachers/ professors assigned this book three whole times throughout my academic career.  I tried to make time to sit through every remake of the movie (not possible for the last one). I have even seen pictures of Gatsby themed weddings. There is no good reason for any of this.

From reading the book the first time, I learned all I need to know about Gatsby, and what I learned makes me want to throw crisply starched shirts at anyone wishing to host a Gatsby themed party in leiu of a general 1920’s bash.

Let’s do an extremely brief character study to see why this novel is not happy party material:

Jay Gatsby- Loves another man’s wife. Really doesn’t enjoy achieving American dream. Fatally shot. Next to no one attends his funeral.
Nick Carraway- Remarkably boring. Lives vicariously through Gatsby. Not much more to say about our dear narrator.

Tom Buchanan- Arrogant. Racist. Life peaked at 21.

Daisy Buchanan- Troubled marriage/ love life.  Hit and runs Myrtle.

Myrtle- Lives in “valley of ashes.” Dislikes her husband. Dies in gruesome car accident.

Now do you want to take that date to a Gatsby movie or have that Gatsby themed wedding?  I don’t…let’s try Gatsby Halloween. That would be a lot more appropriate. 

Conclusion: remember this post next time you contemplate how romantic Fitzgerald's story is...because it isn't.

Sorry, Jay, I believe your green light is just a little too dim,

   Erica