Thoughts on The Great Gatsby?

Question

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels. I recently finished reading this book for about the tenth time, and everytime I read it, I can conclude that the ending is very disappointing. Any thoughts on the ending of The Great Gatsby, or on the book in general?

Answer 1

Being that the novel is about unattainable dreams (a common theme in Fitzgerald based on his feelings of not being able to provide the kind of life for Zelda he felt she deserved), a "happliy ever after" ending just wouldn't have worked. When you think of it, no one in that book is really happy and that's the point Fitzgerald was trying to make. He was showing the superficial nature of the jazz age with its gaiety and parties but inward emptiness. The book has always been one of my all time favorites and I read it every few years.

Answer 2

I absolutely love the Great Gatsby as well, and though the end could be seen as disappointing I think it fits so well with the rest of the novel. I mean, there are some stories that work well with a happy ending, but some don't. Would Gone with the Wind be the classic it is today if Scarlet and Rhett had stayed together? Likewise, if Daisy had decided to leave her husband for Gatsby, I think the novel would have been cheapened by unbelieveability and a "happy ending." I love this book not so much for the story, which is pretty depressing, but for the amazing imagery Fitzgerald uses. He uses language with incredible skill, and I think that it's that which makes Great Gatsby a classic, not the plot, disappointing as it may be.

Answer 3

I haven't read it yet, but I am now putting it onto my list,because of knowing that you have read it 10X - excellent:-)