Book #3- The Great Gatsby

I never had heard of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, so I really didn't know if I would like it or not. After I finished the book, I didn't like it, I loved it. The Great Gatsby is filled with interesting round characters and intertwining plot lines. It seemed to me the way everyone ended up being connected to one anther some way reminded me of a soap opera. I also loved how Fitzgerald made me believe one thing was going to happen, but the surprise me with a twist. I truly believed Daisy and Gastby would run off and live happily ever after, but when Gatsby died, I was surprised as well as upset. I finally loved how Gatsby and all the other characters helped portray the theme of following your dreams and trying to achieve them.

The characters of The Great Gatsby were so well developed, I couldn't help loving or hating the Characters. My favorite character in this book was Gatsby. At first he seemed mysterious and quiet, but showed off his wealth with lavish parties. Then, I saw a whole new side of Gatsby when I learned he earned his money and his undying love for Daisy. I also loved his courage to take the fall for Daisy. When he was killed by Wilson, my heart broke because I wanted to see him reach his poteintial of living the life he wants. The characters I loved to hate were Tom and Daisy. Tom was a character I hated from the beginning because he was a selfish hateful pig because he still wanted to be married, but still had flings with his mistress on the side. He seemed to remind me of the Duke and the Dauphin in HUck Finn because they lied to people to get money like Tom is lying to his wife about having an affair while trying to keep her as well. At first I liked Daisy because she seemed so madly in love with Gatsby, but she showed her true cowardice by staying with Tom and then leaving without a forward address. These main characters as well as Jordan and Nick were meant to symbolize people who search for dreams, but they were either not achieved or hollow goals.

The main theme of The Great Gatsby, in my opinion, is following dreams and struggles man has to go through to make the future he wants. Gatsby wanted to have a life with Daisy, so he became wealthy, but he never did get Daisy and he couldn't accept it. Nick ponders the thought of dreams and its struggles at the end of the book when he looks at the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. On pg. 189 where it says "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us, but that's no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, strech out our arms farther... And one fine morning-- So we deat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." When I read this quote, I interpreted it as people like Gatsby go after their dreams and even though it is beyond their reach, they try everything to achieve it. Then the person is always brought back into their past where the dreams will maybe be or always be out of reach.

After reading this book, it is now oneof my favorites. The inticing plot line with surprises at every corner really brought me into the story. The round characters also made the story seem more real to me and made the story interesting. The theme in my opinion was easy to relate to because I have dreams and I will always try to achieve them even if the end like Gatsbys did. This classic novel has clearly won my heart over!