F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I am currently approaching the middle of the novel, so I should probably know the answer to one rather major question: what is the point of this novel? So far, I have noticed the development of two major themes: rejection and the fleetingness of life.
From the very beginning of the novel, people were being rejected or abandoned; Nick's dog, Tom's affair, and, now, Gatsby's missed opportunity with Daisy. We learn in this section that nearly every single thing Gatsby has done in his life has been to impress Daisy including his buying the house on the bay across from the Buchanans' house. Now, he plans on luring Daisy near his house through Nick. Because he is so afraid of being rejected for being a burden, he asks Jordan Baker to ask Nick and refuses to ask anything more from Nick after she asks him. "'What day would suit you?' he corrected me quickly. 'I don't want to put you to any trouble, you see'" (Fitzgerald, 82). By not being assertive or bold, Gatsby has squandered much of his life planning for some future instead of achieving it. By contrast, Nick threw caution to the wind and asked Jordan to dinner. This contrast serves to warn the reader against the fear of rejection that keeps people from living their lives.
Another theme of the novel is the brevity of life. When Nick returns to his house late at night, Gatsby suggests going to Coney Island and going for a swim. His suggestions are reminiscent of children not wanting to go to sleep. Without even realizing it, Gatsby has allowed his life to pass him by. Even though he is quite old, he hasn't completely grown up; he still deals with his crushes like a middle-schooler with messengers and passive-aggressive subterfuge. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's shortcomings to convey lessons he views as ignored by his time: there is more to life than being accepted by others and everyone must seize life before it zips by like a bootlegger.
I found this.
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