Why women shouldn’t drive

Review of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

One of my most recent movie theater adventures involved two wonderful things.

The first of which was seeing Les Mis with my mom. It was a fexcellent film and I highly recommend it. Seriously, go watch it.

So now you’re back from seeing Les Mis and decided to read the rest of the post, which brings me to wonderful thing number two; watching Les Mis involved the preview for Baz Luhrman’s new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey McGuire, the preview contained all the glitz and pizzazz I would expect of a Baz Luhrman production and I’m definitely going to see it. So, in honor of the newest movie version, this is my review of The Great Gatsby.

*Summary Contains Spoilers*

Lucas shows off my copy.

This tale of the roaring 20s opens on Nick Carraway reflecting on some life advice his father gave him when he left home: don’t judge people too quickly. Nick lives in a quaint little house in the West Egg of Long Island next door to the grand mansion of one Jay Gatsby.

Our narrator goes to visit his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband Tom as they recently moved back to the fashionable East Egg. Daisy is waifish and full of energy. Instantly the reader knows she’s a ticking time-bomb of instability, but its ok we like her anyways. It is also instantly apparent that Tom is a major tool and they are back in town because of some scandal.

She also introduces Nick to her friend Jordan who’s a competitive golfer and horrible driver. Jordan and Nick casually date briefly in the novel and he is always happy to point out to her what a crap driver she is.

But totally not in a judgmental way. 

Soon after this dinner, Tom takes Nick into New York City for the night. Before they go they stop at a gas station in the valley of ashes and pick up Tom’s mistress, a very loud obnoxious woman named Myrtle. Myrtle is married to the gas station owner, and they live above the station. She has dreams of grandeur her nice little hubby can’t make come true so she clings to Tom and his wealth. They have a rip-roaring night in the city and Nick is further convinced of Tom’s douchebaggery.

But he’s totally not judgmental.  

I’ll cut in now to say The Great Gatsby was one of the first books where every page screamed symbolism! and classism! Between the East and West Eggs and the green light and Dr. TJ my 17-year-old mind could barely handle it. This is the book that made me want to be an English major and talk about books. I wanted to be able to make predictions and talk about Gatsby’s longing for Daisy embodied in the green light without people yelling at me: “You’re ruining it! We’re not supposed to know he loves Daisy yet!” 

So, I guess the cat’s out of the bag again—Gatsby loves Daisy (even though she, like Jordan, is a horrible driver). Loves her so much he’s crafted his entire glitzy life in the hopes of one day winning her back again. With Nick's help a reunion is organized, and Gatsby gets to show off all the wealth he's acquired to impress his lady-love. Of course, Daisy loves Gatsby as well, but things are never that easy.

Considering what we already know of Tom the Tool, and Daisy the Detonator things don’t end up the way our hero Gatsby planned. There's also the classic case of unreliable narrators. A lot of Nick's information comes from Jordan who is a cheater and liar as well as a poor driver, and Nick himself is also not the most trustworthy person in the world. No matter how nonjudgmental he attempts to be.

Now, Nick may walk the line on that whole not judging people thing, but it’s his true understanding of Jay Gatsby and their friendship that makes him seem trustworthy. He sees past the glitter and understands that Gatsby is more than a rich snob. He’s a dreamer, a romantic, and a secret-keeper. Through Nick’s eyes the reader can see that Gatsby truly is a great man, which makes the conclusion of the novel all the more heartbreaking. 

Even if he did associate with women who can't drive.

Supplementary Texts:

Classism is a huge part of this novel. East Egg vs. West Egg, the different social standings of the Buchanans, Gatsby, Nick, and Myrtle—it goes on and on. To really get the students to grasp this divide I recommend immersing your class in the 1920s. A Gatsby unit should double as a history lesson.

Ok, most units should double as history lessons but I’m getting ahead of myself.

1) Listen to the music of the 20s, look at pictures of fashion, look at pictures of houses. Some songs from the era (such as "Ain't we got fun") comment of the class divide of the era and represent this glimpse in time perfectly. Research into the fashion of the era will also help students better envision the characters. I mean, not everyone nowadays can appreciate a man who wears sexy pink pants like Gatsby. And in terms of houses, Gatsby’s house is based off a real location on Long Island. There’s a lot of fun stories and articles surrounding possible Gatsby houses.

Not exactly Gatsby's house, but here's me snooping around Long Island trying to find it.

2) Read articles about prohibition, and also how social norms changed in the 20s. Boys and girls were allowed to date and dance and arranged marriages began to come to an end. How is a “looser” society portrayed in the novel, and how does it drive the plot? And how does it affect the characterization of the women in the story? Have your kids make a chart comparing/contrasting Jordan, Daisy, and Myrtle. How is the era captured in these women?

3) See what actual people in history thought of the novel. There are reviews of the novel written in the 20s, and who better to assess Fitzgerald’s accuracy of writing than the people who actually lived in the time period? Even have your kids write a review of the book as a reporter from the 20s. After all the history you throw at them they should be able to travel back in time and publish the article with no one thinking twice about it.   

Report Card:

 

I love The Great Gatsby. There’s no way I can get through this review without saying so. It’s dramatic and thought provoking. It’s a beautiful and tragic representation of an era people today only dream about (Hello, Midnight in Paris).

I’ve read Gatsby several times and keep falling deeper and deeper in love. I’m still not sure if I trust Nick Caraway or if I’ve unraveled the true mystery that is Jay Gatsby—but that’s what I love about it. In my opinion The Great Gatsby is one of the best books read in schools these days and it would be a disservice to kids if they are not made to read it. Of course it should not be rushed through either, or taught for the simple reason of using it as a source on a state exam.

The Great Gatsby should be enjoyed. And it gets an A.

On that note, back to the movie. If Carey Mulligan is half the Daisy Mia Farrow was I think we’ll be ok, and I’m overall excited to see Baz’s vision. And some really beautiful shirts.