The Great Gatsby published by Scribner’s on 4/10/1925 and received fairly favorable reviews, but was a commercial disappointment – selling fewer than 20,000 copies. With the themes of the alluring, but illusory American Dream, and the brutal carelessness of the moneyed class, it seems to still pack a punch.
Like so many other great books, I think we have relegated this great novel into the “I Read it in High School” category due to its easily identifiable symbolism, strong motif, and powerful message. But the question I consider, is the theme still relevant? Imagine a novel published in 2025, featuring the current makeup of our society, considering ethnicity, sexuality and gender, but maintaining the central message. Would such a book be well received?
It is heartbreaking that Fitzgerald died thinking himself forgotten and a failure.
Do you think The Great Gatsby should be a contender for the Great American Novel? Leave your comments below.
Also, consider the last line of the novel (it always makes my hair stand on end.)
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