Humanities Moments

The Great Gatsby, Revisited

Contributed by Maggie Jones, 28, Social Studies Teacher
The Green Light
When asked what my favorite book is, I often quickly answer with The Great Gatsby. I first read The Great Gatsby in 2009 in my 10th Grade English class and fell in love. I loved the description of the clothing and parties of the 1920s. I loved the characters, I thought the (spoiler alert!) unrequited love between Daisy and Gatsby was so romantic, and I felt heartbroken by the tragic ending nearly every character received.

Throughout the years, I have defended this novel from students who claim it is boring and adults who describe the characters as self-centered. They were, in my opinion, misunderstood. Recently, I realized I had not re-read The Great Gatsby in a long time and decided it was the perfect time to re-read. Wow, was I wrong.

Perhaps it is because I am now looking through the lens of someone who lived through a pandemic or the lens of being nearly 30- I am not sure what changed but something has and wow are these characters insufferable! Everyone is privileged, entitled, and whiny. What I once saw as romantic (buying a house with a view of Daisy's dock) now seems creepy and manipulative. The characters who I once loved now seem like absolute trash people.

As I reflected on the way my thoughts on this book have changed, I thought about the importance of perspective and lived experiences. It gave me more insight into how my high school students might interpret things differently than I do and how important it is to bring multiple perspectives in as often as possible.

Title

The Great Gatsby, Revisited

Description

When asked what my favorite book is, I often quickly answer with The Great Gatsby. I first read The Great Gatsby in 2009 in my 10th Grade English class and fell in love. I loved the description of the clothing and parties of the 1920s. I loved the characters, I thought the (spoiler alert!) unrequited love between Daisy and Gatsby was so romantic, and I felt heartbroken by the tragic ending nearly every character received.

Throughout the years, I have defended this novel from students who claim it is boring and adults who describe the characters as self-centered. They were, in my opinion, misunderstood. Recently, I realized I had not re-read The Great Gatsby in a long time and decided it was the perfect time to re-read. Wow, was I wrong.

Perhaps it is because I am now looking through the lens of someone who lived through a pandemic or the lens of being nearly 30- I am not sure what changed but something has and wow are these characters insufferable! Everyone is privileged, entitled, and whiny. What I once saw as romantic (buying a house with a view of Daisy's dock) now seems creepy and manipulative. The characters who I once loved now seem like absolute trash people.

As I reflected on the way my thoughts on this book have changed, I thought about the importance of perspective and lived experiences. It gave me more insight into how my high school students might interpret things differently than I do and how important it is to bring multiple perspectives in as often as possible.

Creator

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Source

The Great Gatsby

Date

Summer 2021

Contributor

Maggie Jones, 28, Social Studies Teacher

Identifier

great-gatsby-revisited

Collection