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.