Reader discussion: The Great Gatsby

Public reader discussion about The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Finished reading Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

By LilyLovesBooks64

I kept hearing about this book, so I grabbed it from the Book Fair in Kolkata. Since it’s pretty short, I figured I’d finish it in like 2–3 days. Nope. Very quickly I realized it’s not one of those page-turners that just flies by. Also, I haven’t really read anything that dense after school, where we only did English Literature as a subject. So this felt like the first time I’m reading a “proper” book that’s basically taught. That said, I genuinely loved the story. Romance novels usually aren’t my thing, but this one isn’t that—it’s more about the emptiness behind “upper class” people. I also really liked the twist at the end. It left me with this hollow feeling, like the book is almost making you feel empty on purpose. My only real struggle was the English. I’m a non-native speaker, and honestly it was REALLY hard. There’s so much symbolism that nothing is really said directly. Like it doesn’t just go “he got shot and died” or whatever—you get lines like the sun looking ugly to him, kissing his body, roses and figures and leaves and all that. For me, that style just piled up. I ended up marking pretty much every single word/phrase I couldn’t get, and it’s a lot. I feel like it’ll take me a month to properly decode the vocabulary and the symbolism. I’m not going to lie—I don’t usually enjoy that level of abstraction. To me, if I need a dictionary and sit with something for 10 minutes every few lines, it starts feeling more like philosophy or extra writing. But (and here’s the weird part) I was wrong about that. The more I think about it, the poetic/flow style isn’t just symbolic or “abstract for no reason”—it’s an art thing. I forgot it’s a classic and I was comparing it to some younger Indian YA novels. Because of the language barrier, I assumed it was kind of pretentious, but no—it’s meant to be read and appreciated differently. Also, I heard it didn’t do great when the author was alive, and then it became popular during WW2 when it was handed out for free to soldiers in America. I can totally see why it wasn’t popular. Still, I’m taking it as an English lesson, and I hope writing down what I don’t understand actually makes me better.

Guys could somebody tell me what is the appeal of "Great Gatsby"?

By notebookPencil

I brought the book on my two-week camping trip and read it whenever I had time. I’m not really bothered by the characters being so negative or anything, but I honestly can’t tell what the book is trying to say. To me it felt like it was mostly about a guy who put way too much into trying to impress a girl, then it just ends up in a bunch of bad luck and he dies. That said, I did think the way it describes the time period was pretty interesting. But I’m not sure it lives up to the title “greatest American novel.” I might be missing something though—if someone gets what it’s going for, could you explain? Also, sorry if my English isn’t great.

Just read The Great Gatsby for the first time as an adult, got me thinking about "required reading" in school

By silver_cougar4061

I just read TGG for the first time as an adult, and wow—I can’t believe how much it still fits with the world we live in. It really nails that whole idea of trying to recreate the past and never quite getting there. I’m probably going to be thinking about it for days. This also brought back memories of high school. Like a lot of people, it was “required reading,” so I was stuck reading it way too early. I honestly don’t remember much about how I felt at the time, but I *do* remember it being kind of tedious and boring when I was 16. That same vibe happened with other classics too—like Great Expectations when I was 14. I get that sometimes kids can handle stuff like that, but it feels like most of the time Dickens and the like are just assigned without much consideration for what teenagers can actually enjoy. Because of that, I basically developed a dislike of reading for a while. It was turned into homework, not something fun. I didn’t really get my love for reading back until my mid-20s, and now I always have a book around. But it makes me wonder how many kids end up permanently turned off by these classics because they were made to get through them in class and didn’t connect at all. That’s what feels sad to me, because these books can be so much more when you’re finally in the right headspace to understand them. I picked up a copy of Gatsby that was definitely used before—there are notes and highlights in the margins. I’m totally fine with annotations, but the comments were like: “Tom is mad.” “Gatsby is rich” “Nick lives next door” I mean… do they still do the “you must take notes” thing in school? I remember doing that. Those notes just felt like someone was bored out of their mind, forcing themselves to write something down so they could say they did it, and probably not going to touch the book again after that. It’s kind of heartbreaking, honestly. And the testing part—ugh. I remember being quizzed on plot points nonstop, but I don’t recall ever being asked anything like, “How does this book make you feel?” or “How do you relate to it?” Maybe I just had bad teachers. Either way, it seems like the system would be better if kids could choose books that actually match their level and what’s going on in their lives, instead of dragging everyone through the same stuff. Anyway, sorry for the rant—I just had a lot of thoughts and wanted to see what other people think.

How are you supposed to feel about Gatsby in The Great Gatsby?

By notebookdeviate9725

I read this a while ago, and I can’t really remember what I thought about Jay Gatsby back then, but rereading it, I’m realizing I feel kind of weird about him—like I can’t decide if I love him or hate him. Part of me wants to put him on a pedestal and see him as this romantic dreamer who’ll do anything for love. And near the end, with everything going on, it’s hard not to feel like he’s some kind of classic love hero. But then I also can’t ignore the other side of it. He comes off as a liar, a criminal, super self-obsessed, and honestly kind of out of his mind, like he doesn’t care at all how his choices mess with other people as long as he gets what he wants. They’re just so different in my head that I don’t know how to make it all fit together.

The Great Gatsby; a new and instant favorite...

By notebookPencil

I watched/started The Great Gatsby a couple days ago at school, and then a family member ended up getting me a copy for Christmas. I’ve only made it through a little over 100 pages so far (a few hours total, with breaks), and I’m already pretty sure it’s going to be one of my immediate favorites. I’m not really an F. Scott Fitzgerald person—The Beautiful and Damned and Tender is the Night both gave me bad experiences—but this one feels totally different. The writing isn’t nearly as dense, and somehow it’s still really beautiful. It honestly feels like every line was picked on purpose, and it’s just fun to read. The details and the chapters are really strong, too, and I like how he builds characters that are both likable and kind of annoying without it feeling forced. Plus, it makes the whole glittery, glamorous Jazz Age vibe easy to picture (and enjoyable, not just distant or stuffy). I’m totally in love with it right now. I’m curious what everyone else thought while reading—did you find it entertaining? And if you didn’t, what was the part that actually ruined it for you?

The Great Gatsby, why make highschoolers read this?

By happyWindow90

I’m a 35M and I ended up re-reading this because this kid I used to know in high school had to read it. I read it back then too. I remember feeling like there’s a lot of history in here that a younger reader probably wouldn’t catch unless they’re really locked in on that time period. I also get the vibe that it kind of romanticizes stuff like cheating, drinking hard, and lying. It honestly pulled me back to when I was drinking a lot, so yeah—glad I’m sober now. That said, the writing has some pretty language and the overall mood is kind of enjoyable. I did like it, but it still feels like there are way better books to make kids read in high school.

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

By quantumHarmony

If it was really like that, then I guess he’d feel like he’d lost that cozy old world and basically paid a big price just by sticking with the same dream too long. Like he’d be looking up at some sky that doesn’t feel familiar, staring through scary-looking leaves, and then getting hit with how weirdly ugly a rose can look and how harsh and bright the sunlight feels on grass that barely seems real. Sounds like this “new” world is sort of there but not really—like those tired ghosts that aren’t solid, just floating around, drifting in the air by chance. And then there’s that pale, strange figure moving toward him through trees that don’t seem to have a real shape.