When the plot is not so important

These days we are sharing our views about the books proposed by our English teacher at class. The one I chose was The Great Gatsby, a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, which has been adapted to film in both 1979 and 2013. The main role of the mysterious Jay Gatsby is portrayed by Robert Redford in the first film while in the second one is Leonardo di Caprio, both of them deliver wonderful interpretations.

Although everything in this artwork goes around the figure of Gatsby, what I’ve really found of most interest is how this novel narrated through the voice of Nick Carraway, a friend of Gatsby. This strategy permits the author to establish such a great continuity between descriptions, dialogues and thoughts that the reader ends the book transforming himself or herself into Mr Carraway.

This novel is also a very good example to consider in terms of atmosphere. The author fulfill the difficult aim of depicting the late twenties in America for the most wealthy and glamorous people. After a few pages you’ll find yourself dancing charleston in a very lavish party where wasteful dispending was never a great problem.  

At this point, you will be probably asking yourself about the content of the plot which is perfectly summarized in the drawing that opens this post. Spoiler! You might be thinking. In fact, it is not the case, because it’s the atmosphere of this novel and the definition of its characters what it really matters. The rest, in my opinion, is just an excuse to build up a story of the twenties.

All in all, I would strongly recommend reading this book trying not to look for an impressive plot but letting yourself become part of Gatsby life. The overwhelming impression created is that you are part of something unique.