Before the movie The Great Gatsby, based on the novel of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was released this year, I had never heard of it before. The film created a hype and suddenly everyone wanted to see this movie. I was dying to see it too, and mostly because I hadn’t read the book and so I wouldn’t compare the movie to anything and would just enjoy it on its own. However I had to travel on the days it was being shown in cinemas, and after that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to rent out a DVD version.
Recently, as I was trying to look for some money we sometimes stash in books (in our household books also act as banks), I came across a slim, dusty book named ‘The Great Gatsby’ in my father’s library. Instantly my mind went ‘Cha-ching!’ Not because I’d found the cash; that was probably in the other 9999999 books.
Oh, how I wish I had seen the movie before I read the novel. I say that because now the movie is NEVER going to be as good. I have yet to see a film based on a book that turns out to be better than the actual novel; for me, words are always better.
The Great Gatsby on the surface is a tale of the unfulfilled love between a man and a woman, but once you understand it in depth, the theme is actually on a much larger-and less romantic-scope.
Through his novel, Fitzgerald portrays the America in 1920’s as an era of greed and rotten social and moral values. The extravagant parties thrown every week by Gatsby symbolize reckless jubilance and the hollow pursuit of pleasure. Ultimately, these shallow activities result in the corruption of the American dream as the unquenchable thirst for money and power surpass the noble goals.
This book has love, hatred, suspense, and murder- it’s the real deal.
I am so glad to have read-and enjoyed- this book, and also it’s an honor to add this to my ‘Great books that I have read’ list.
I would suggest it to everyone interested in literature and reading, as this would be a great asset and is a thoroughly enjoyable read!
High Heels Off 