2006-03-20

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jay Gatsby was born poor. He fell in love with a girl from a rich
family, Daisy, before he was drafted for the World War I. Her beauty,
her tenderness, and her fancy house made up a dream of Gatsby, which
he struggled for his whole life. Daisy was married to a rich man, Tom,
by the arrangement of her family. Maybe she was reluctant; maybe she
was still in love with Gatsby; but she also felt flattered by the
position and wealth of Tom. ¡°She wanted her life shaped now, immediately
¡ªand the decision must be made by some force¡ªof love, of money, of
unquestionable practicality¡ªthat was close at hand.¡±

Gatsby felt betrayed, however, he thought it was because he was penniless.
After he came back from the War, he became very rich soon. How he
accumulated his wealth remained a secret besides all those gossips that
he was a bootlegger. He built a magnificent mansion across where Daisy
and Tom lived. There were parties in his mansion every Saturday night.
People, both invited and not invited, went there, drinking, eating, dancing,
chatting, doing whatever they want to have fun. Everybody seems to know
Gatsby, about his mansion, his hospitability, and mystery. Gatsby did
all this only to draw Daisy¡¯s attention. One day, finally, he met Daisy
again and showed her around his mansion with pride and longing for her
to come back to him.

Daisy seemed to be still in love with Gatsby. Nevertheless, when she
was confronted by her husband, she hesitated. There were times in their
marriage, she loved him. An accident happened very dramatically and led
to some unexpected tragedy. Daisy, killed a woman, who happened to be
Tom¡¯s mistress, when she was driving in Gatsby¡¯s car. She did not stop,
but there were witnesses seeing the car. The killed woman¡¯s husband got
indication from Tom that the owner of that car was Gatsby. In one afternoon
of the late summer, Gatsby, alone in the swimming pool, waiting for a call
from Daisy, was shot dead by that crazy husband.

Gatsby was a tragedy. His only dream was to get Daisy back. He thought
money could buy him anything, including Daisy¡¯s love. The accident
pulled him to the reality, only that he was dead. Nothing matters anymore.
If the first half of the book shows how empty and bored people are,
the second half discloses how cold and careless the same people are.
Gatsby was dead. Nobody, who used to come to his party, who was his
business partners, even Daisy, sent a ring, or a message, no matter
coming to his funeral. Nobody wanted to be mixed up in it because he was
killed. People admire and desire wealth. The relationship among people
is first defined by money. No money, then no love and no friendship.
The love and friendship lying on money is after all superficial. The
carelessness and the coldness emerge immediately when there is a possibility
of trouble. People are lonely and that is so-called social life.