Title, Author, Genre: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fiction
Summary: Nick Carraway moves to New York in the summer of 1922 looking for a job in the
bond business. He moves in next door to Jay Gatsby, a rich man who hosts parties every weekend at
his gigantic mansion. Nick visits his cousin, Daisy Buchanan and Tom Buchanan who were also rich
people during the Roaring Twenties. Soon, Nick is intertwined in a multitude of affairs. He learns
that Tom is in an affair with Myrtle Wilson and that Gatsby and Daisy were a couple. Now, Gatsby is
on a quest to woo Daisy and win her back from Tom. Through this journey, Fitzgerald eloquently
describes the roaring twenties' excessive materialism, enormous corruption, and beautiful love story
in this American classic.
Opinion: This is a MUST READ. Fitzgerald describes the facade of the Roaring Twenties through
an artful love story. Each character and symbol represent different parts of this time period that are
on point. Gatsby and his illicit businesses represent corruption, The Valley of Ashes represents
industrial waste and the overlooked part of the 1920s, and Daisy represents materialism. I found the
most compelling aspect to be how Fitzgerald writes the book through Nick Carraway’s perspective
instead of through Gatsby’s or Daisy’s perspective. It gives the reader a holistic view of all the events.
The book never disappointed me and always kept me hooked. The first chapter was the toughest to
read, however, the rest of the book reads easily and is very interesting. I would recommend this book
to any high school student.
The Cover: Although there are multiple covers, I believe all of them are very creative since they
involve different symbols of the book like Dr. TJ Eckeleburg that are important to Fitzgerald’s
rhetorical purpose and themes. The bright skyline is an excellent description of the time period and
its magnanimity and segues into his critique of the time period. I also recommend watching the
movie after reading the book.
Rating: ★★★★★