"So we beat on, boats against the current, home back ceaselessly into the past." p. 189
I feel like this book started out really well. It had a great plot with interesting characters. However, as it continued, I had a hard time investing myself in the novel. As the story unfolded, it became more apparent that Fitzgerald was not the most descriptive author in my opinion. He barely went into detail about anything that seemed important. And once I got to the second half of the book, it seemed as if he was speeding through the writing in order to get to the end. The whole killing the mistress seemed way out of left field to me and I just didn't really enjoy the flow of the book. Perhaps the most frustrating part of this was the narrator. Nick was a character in the story but he didn't really pass many judgments or comments on the happenings in the story. He merely just told them how they happened with little commentary. Needless to say I was not a fan of the way Fitzgerald utilized the first person point of view.
Dear Annamaria,
ReplyDeleteCan I just say that you kind of read my mind when it comes to summarizing my thought process of the book? I totally agree how Fitzgerald sped through the book to get to the ending. The author completely did not focus on details at all. The things that deserved more description were pushed to the side and the things that were pointless were heavily described. For instance, the murder of Gatsby was just simply stated instead of having all the details that it deserved. Perhaps this was to showcase the thoughts of the characters. When Gatsby died, no one really cared at all. Fitzgerald did however go into detail about all the characters' gossip and pointless stories. Perhaps Fitzgerald did this because he wanted to emphasize that the characters cared too much on senseless matters. I love your blog. Amazing work and quite enjoyable! =)
YES! I completely agree with you on all points! I also agree with Chessie. I would have liked more details on the murder scene/aftermath and not just that he died.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he sped through the ending of the book, but I think that may have been the point. (I am horrible at analysis so I'm probably wrong). But, I think that the fact that everyone was dying, and there wasn't much description or care that the people had died represents how Fitzgerald was trying to convey the upper class. He wanted to characterize them as being shallow and superficial. The fact that the end of the novel was so rushed seems to display the characters shallow nature.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the second half of the book was much worse. However, my reasoning is somewhat different. I hated how the guilty got off free, and Gatsby was killed. He was innocent when compared to Daisy or Tom.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason Nick reserved passing judgment was because of the advice his father gave him about not criticizing people who have not had the same advantages. I guess the advantage Nick has over these people is that he actually has feelings and acts like a decent human being. I wish he had shared what he thought about the people he spent his time with; that would have made the book much more interesting and dramatic.
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