The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby was a very mysterious book; though, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ways in which F. Scott Fitzgerald built up the characters and the character relationships was impeccable and highly amusing. When describing Mr. Carraway in the beginning of the story, Fitzgerald goes into long details that take his character in depth. In fact, he used details thoroughly to explain everything in the book, from the characters to the scenery at the Buchanan’s house to the view of the ash heaps.

Throughout the book, the relationships between the characters continued to grow, and that, for me, is what made the story interesting – the way in which Fitzgerald built the relationships. When Daisy left neither a letter nor flowers for Gatsby’s funeral, I felt angry and disdain, for she had admitted to loving him, but obviously not enough to care in the end. The arrogance of the characters in the book evidently turned me away from every character except Mr. Carraway and Gatsby, and once in a while Ms. Baker.

What was most amusing were the relationships between characters. “’Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” Mr. Carraway is probably the most down to earth character, as he tries his best to follow his father’s advice and does a fantastic job of hiding how he truly feels about other characters. It is very curious that he comes to love Ms. Baker when in the beginning he described her as a very dishonest person, and didn’t seem to enjoy her lies. Also, Mr. Carraway shows his true friendship to Gatsby as being one of three people, not including servants, to attend his funeral – Mr. Carraway wasn’t even very fond of Gatsby:  “It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end.” To the end, Mr. Carraway stayed true to Gatsby. “I found myself on Gatsby’s side, and alone.”

In the beginning, Fitzgerald describes Mr. Carraway as being alone; alone to where even his dog ran away. As Fitzgerald built up the relationships throughout the book, it is strange to me that in the end, Mr. Carraway was once again alone. In the end, I think this is what made the book so powerful.