It is just the beginning: Pages 171-180 (The Great Gatsby)

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Once again, it's judgment time.

I very much enjoyed the novel and not only because it was only 180 pages.  Specifically I appreciated the symbolism and the theme of abandonment.

More so than Wharton, Fitzgerald relies quite heavily on symbolism.  While most of the symbols represent life as a whole, one of my favorites was the bay.  Now, the bay is one of the many symbols that represents life, but it stands out because it ties into the last sentence of the novel: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald, 180).  Water is a common symbol for life in many cultures, including Christianity.  However, Fitzgerald uses it to point out a less refreshing tendency of people.  The bay was the one physical obstacle separating Gatsby from his goal, Daisy.  In a larger sense, their lives, things they could not change, separated them.  Nevertheless, as all people tend to do, Gatsby constantly tried to cross that barrier and attempted to go back to a time when he and Daisy were together.  But the currents of time would not allow that.  I enjoy this symbolism so much because it reminds me that I'm not the only one who wants to challenge the currents.

The main reason I enjoyed the theme of abandonment so much is that Fitzgerald was so consistent and dedicated to it.  From the story of Nick's dog that ran away to Tom's affair with Myrtle to the ungrateful guests who leave Gatsby without a word to the sudden deaths of Myrtle and Gatsby to the lack of attendees at Gatsby's funeral, the story is saturated with characters who desert the story suddenly.  In that realm where everyone was simply searching for a good time or personal validation and would leave after achieving their goals, no one could be trusted to do anything except better himself.  Fitzgerald offers a simple solution to those who find themselves stuck in a world of materialistic egoists in what Nick finally does and what I wish I could have the courage to do if I should ever find myself in that place: leave.