Book #54, The Great Gatsby
I read this in high school, and really liked it. And, was surprised to discover later that most everyone else didn't. I still hear people complain about a book they didn't like that they had to read, and I'd say I never had to read it - then they'll say, "Well, it was that or The Great Gatsby, so...." as if that answered everything. Which continues to baffle me, because Gatsby is also really short so it seems like it would be the smart choice when you're on a school schedule. (Whenever we got to choose, 90% of the time I picked the one that was shortest. I have never regretted that method.) It wasn't until much later that I realized I relate really closely to Jay Gatsby, and that may have been why I devoured it.
Anyway, I got myself a copy earlier this year after failing to get one off one of my book trading sites. I finally decided I wanted to read it bad enough to just buy it, because it wasn't available to trade for. Shortly after that I found out there was a movie trailer released, and I was like, "Noooo now everyone will think I'm reading it just because the movie is coming out!" But who cares about that. (The movie looks pretty good by the way, though one must always be cautious of big-budget versions of old literature.)
Gatsby is the man who has everything, except the only thing he wants. He's spent so long in pursuit of his singular dream that he can't bring himself to look in any other directions, walk any new paths. He's the target of gossip, speculation, and jealousy, and everyone thinks his life is better than theirs, while internally he's lonely and desperate and grasping with eternally empty fingers. But at the same time, he's so hopeful - he's so sure that things will work out eventually, he's always positive that tomorrow is going to be the day that it all comes together. Gatsby is a hard character to dislike, even though he's got lots of things going for him that should make him unlikable. And his sad desperation mixed with his solid, unwavering hope make him pretty unique as a tragic hero - he's like two cliche characterizations meshed into one, creating a completely new person that you ache for and root for, even while wondering just why you want him to come out on top. But you do. At least, I do.
There's a lot about first-half-of-the-book Gatsby that I relate to. And I think this book might be one of the reasons that I haven't turned into second-half-of-the-book Gatsby - his portrayal of "the American dream" really embedded in my brain the importance of flexibility, of letting things go when it's time to let them go, and turning down a new path when it's presented to you. Gatsby is a cautionary tale I actually learned from, and made changes for. Some people won't have anything to learn from Gatsby, that's for sure, and maybe those are the people who hate it and think it's pointless. But to me, there's always going to be something important here, no matter how many times I read it. It reminds me that sometimes, you need to look away from the green light at the end of the dock and see if there's anything else around.
Total book count: 54/75 - 72%
Total page count: 15742/22500 - 70.0%
Up next: Well, I think that lost the lead I got from Across the Wall. :P Over halfway in The New Space Opera, not much progress on GN&W, so time to start the third Harry Potter I think!