The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

            I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Just like Heart of Darkness, this story has a dream- like quality throughout it. However, unlike HoD, which is feverish in its dream- quality, with its over descriptions and representations in smaller subjects but the lack in seemingly large subjects, TGG is like the dreams that come along that at the time feel vivid and make complete sense until  one wakes up, but still linger on and hold a strange fascination. What I perhaps love the most about the story is that during much of the book, the characters (except perhaps Carraway) seem very un-real, much like machines and animals. But somewhere between [Spoiler Alert!] Mrs. Wilson dying and Gatsby getting shot, the dream ends, and the characters become all too real. Ironically perhaps the most dream-character, Daisy, evaporates from the story at this time. The whole outline of the narrative is quite the piece of art, with clever tones preceding each other. 
          In addition, what I admire is the character Gatsby himself, and how he is created. He reminds me much of Tom Hamilton in East of Eden (for those who have read it) by John Steinbeck, because both characters have the possibility to take the easy road of mediocrity, take the hard road of being great and upstanding, or perhaps the hardest of all the road of balance of the two. And sadly, both end up dying, one because he could not bear himself, and the other by taking the fall for another’s wrong. It is when Mr. Gatz shows the book to Carraway that one realizes how real Gatsby was and how great he could have been. He had ambitions and faults and virtues, like most of the important characters towards the end. The exceptions to this are the Buchanans, where Tom seems to be all faults and Daisy all virtues.
          I would recommend this book, if only for the fact to experience the feel of faux-carefree-ness of a lifestyle few can handle.