Difference between revisions of "APEL DLR"

Revision as of 21:21, 22 August 2012

Day 1: What did you like about Gatsby and why?

I liked how "The Great Gatsby" was written from the point of view of Nick rather than an outsider. This gave the reader the feeling of looking in from the outside but also being a part of the story. Nick is the most honest and trustworthy character of the entire group of characters, so the fact that the book is written from his perspective rather than Daisy's or Tom's point of view makes the book much more enjoyable. It is hard to know at first whether the characters in the Great Gatsby mean well, but by the end it was clear that Nick was the only character that wasn't superficial and obsessed with money.
 I found the love triangles to be very cleverly set up throughout the "Gatsby" because it gave the book more depth and mystery. Everyone in the group of characters was connected in some way, which interested me the most when reading. I found it humorous that Tom Buchanan, while having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, also expected Daisy to love him. Daisy and Tom Buchanan were the most interesting characters in my opinion because they basically defined the Jazz Age and how the people who lived in the East Egg acted.
 In my opinion, "The Great Gatsby" was very well written and the characters were well developed but varied from one another, which made for an interesting read.

Overall, I did not like "The Great Gatsby." While it is considered an American masterpiece, I found the book to be rather boring. Not much important happens until about halfway through the book, so I was already bored of the book and had a negative attitude toward it before anything really happened. I literally fell asleep several times while reading the first few chapters of "Gatsby," which is usually a sign that I am not enjoying a book. To add to the boring introduction of the book, none of the characters seemed very intriguing to me; they all just seemed rather superficial. Tom and Daisy are obnoxious rich people, Jordan is a pretentious rich person, Gatsby is a lovestruck rich person, and Nick is a boring, slightly-less-than-rich person. A lot of the book is just chit-chat during teatime or at parties, which in my opinion does not make for an interesting novel. The basic plot seemed to be Gatsby trying to take Daisy away from Tom in a rather overt, not very well thought out way: yelling to Tom that Daisy never loved him, which ultimately fails. Then people die, which is always fun, but I did not feel attached enough to Myrtle, George, or even Gatsby to even care about their dying. None of the characters were interesting or likable enough for me to care about him or her, which usually results in my not caring for the book. Overall, "The Great Gatsby" had a rather simple plot with boring characters, and I really did not enjoy the novel at all.

Though at first I did not like "The Great Gatsby", as soon as more characters were introduced to the book I started really enjoying it. Most, if not all, of the characters had many layers to their personalities and it was interesting to see how they were all connected to each other. I found it odd yet funny how most characters were deceitful in some way yet they judged others for doing similar things, like how Tom was so upset about Daisy's relationship with Gatsby yet he was seeing Myrtle. Although I enjoyed the book, it did feel rushed and I think it would have been more entertaining if it had been longer and we had been able to learn more about each individual character. I felt like there was a lot of reading before getting to the main plot and that a lot of the information was not very important to the book. Overall, the plot was short and simple but it was still comical and interesting, though I would have enjoyed more detail about the character's personal lives.

One of my favorite aspects of "The Great Gatsby" was the suspense around Gatsby's name. During the book, Gatsby's past became a recurring plot point that confuses the characters and causes them to spread untrue rumors about him. As the reader, I also was very curious about who Gatsby really was, and how he had acquired his vast wealth. Furthermore, I also enjoyed the romance in the novel, as both romances (Daisy and Gatsby, Myrtle and Tom) involved infidelity. This added to the secrecy and depth of the novel. The final thing I enjoyed about the novel were the symbols. The most intriguing symbol to me were the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg in the Valley of Ashes. These eyes, to me, represented a higher being looking down on all events that occur in the Valley.

I found it intriguing that Nick is the narrator rather than Gatsby. The situation reminds me of how Dr. Watson narrates throughout his adventures with Sherlock Holmes. The outside view towards the character of focus, which in this case is Gatsby, provides different insights into the characters. Nick, claiming to be the most honest of everyone around him, provides what could be viewed as the most valid observations and criticisms. I felt that having Nick as the narrator is much better than having Gatsby. Imagine what biased thoughts Gatsby would have conveyed during his possible rants about his ideal relationship with Daisy. While reading the book, I was a bit uninterested in the characters. Most of them seem to be various personalities of the wealthy upper class, and Nick's criticisms seem a bit too obvious at times (derpy, if you will). I don't have any specific examples in mind, but perhaps that just shows my dislike towards most of the characters. I did, however, find Gatsby to be quite a fascinating character. To me, Gatsby seems like a character devoted to his dreams/goals and works tirelessly to achieve them, and this is what makes Gatsby "great." Through sheer hard work and unerring determination, Gatsby reinvents himself completely. Daisy is also a huge influence in Gatsby's life. Seeing her as a women who emanates an aura of wealth and luxury, Gatsby strives to become a wealthy man so that one day, Daisy will see his wealth and fall in love with him. What makes Gatsby so interesting to me is his devotion to Daisy, whom he views as the perfect woman. Gatsby saw Daisy's wealthy and aristocratic lifestyle in the past, and because he desires to have such luxuries, Daisy becomes his is else woman, especially since he fails to see Daisy's fickle and shallow personality. Her true colors shine when she admits to loving Tom and when she lets Gatsby take the blame for killing Myrtle. Ultimately, Daisy simply cannot rise to Gatsby's expectations, and this hurts Gatsby. The final crushing blow is Tom and Daisy's sudden departure before Gatsby's funeral. Overall, I think that the book deserves its status as a classic. Although some characters weren't particularly well-developed in my opinion, there were certain aspects that piqued my interest. The story supposedly reflects some of Scott Fitgerald's opinions of the Roaring Twenties, and that's important to keep in mind when reading the book. The plot was a tad bland to me, but the underlying significance of everything that happens is quite profound.