Submitted by Suspiciously_Flawed t3_z91h1x in books
First of all, I say this with the utmost respect, I am here to discuss not to fight or argue.
The Great Gatsby is my favorite novel of all time, in my opinion it is the greatest piece of western literature ever created.
Whenever I have a discussion with someone or read something about it the book is described as being a sort of "Critique of American society, class values, social taboos, etc..."
I think this is inaccurate, I believe that this is in the book but only because if a good author accurately describes a reality which is contradictory or flawed that will be portrayed naturally in the work.
In reality, I believe the main idea of the book is the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. It is about pursuing that fantastical, vague, child like fantasy we all posses in our heads. The place where we go when we daydream about what we wish we could be. Gatsby never cared about money, about Daisy, about any of it. He was chasing an image that he had built in his head of his ultimate self, and in that image were things like wealth and people like Daisy. Of course, reality can never meet that dream. When you get the things you thought would paint that picture, they are disappointing. This is perfectly represented in the following quote:
> Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever.
As soon as Gatsby achieved his goal, it no longer seemed significant.
The Great Gatsby is a novel representing Fitzgerald struggled with in his own life, reality can never be the image you paint or novel you write in your own head. Once you grasp the green light, it's not so special anymore.
Synaps4 t1_iyegcd4 wrote
> He was chasing an image that he had built in his head of his ultimate self, and in that image were things like wealth and people like Daisy. Of course, reality can never meet that dream. When you get the things you thought would paint that picture, they are disappointing.
That sounds just like "american society & class values" to me. The american dream in a nutshell. Chasing an image of what you think looks like perfection but which couldnt possibly meet the expectations people have of it.