The Great Gatsby is a book whose praises have been sung by almost every English teacher I have had since middle school; it is known as a classic, a “remarkable read”. So, naturally, when I began reading this book, my expectations were high. Since we had watched the movie in class, the plot line was spoiled, but in some ways I looked at it as a blessing. I could sit back, not get too overwhelmed with anticipation, and just simply and sincerely enjoy the writing that F. Scott Fitzgerald was so well known for.
When I began reading the novel , I was thrown off by the descriptiveness of the book. The writing is so amazing, it leaves very little to the imagination, describing every detail of the roaring twenties. While this is a gorgeous way of writing, I was worried if the plot of the novel was getting too blurred by the descriptiveness of it all. Now that I have progressed into the book, I have realized that this way of writing was important to the story: Fitzgerald describes Gatsby and his lavish lifestyle so vividly, we feel as if we are dancing on a table-top at his party, running into somebody drunk in his library.
Something that I enjoyed most about reading the first third of The Great Gatsby was how it allowed us to be distracted by little things, like the previously mentioned drunk man in the library. While this twist has no ties to the basic plot (at least that we can see), it contributes to our opinions on Gatsby’s guests, and the unpredictability of his parties. I loved how Fitzgerald approached Daisy and Tom Buchanan: the narrator told of his connection to the two and his connection to Gatsby at two separate times, letting us form our own opinions of the two groups uniquely, before he merged them together in a shocking twist. Overall, I am very excited to keep reading The Great Gatsby!
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