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CriticalDan4th
11-16-2013, 03:44 PM
I recently read The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald and was left a little under-whelmed and in some ways, I even disliked the characters thoroughly.
The whole facade of Gatsby's and the blankness of Daisy I found very frustrating. To think that people lived like that in a world of decadence, almost with a disregard of consequences or the morality of their actions made me feel like I fundamentally could not like the characters.

On reflection, I like the social commentary side of things with what Fitzgerald is saying about the superficial society of 1920s America but I still can't like the characters or their thought processes.

Has anyone else felt this or indeed, felt the polar opposite?

I have written a blog post on my thoughts if you want to read in a bit more depth: search for criticaldan4th wordpress and you should find it. Any reads appreciated :)

kev67
11-16-2013, 07:12 PM
I feel I must have missed a lot, while reading it. It is many people's favourite book. Its symbols and subtext are analysed again and again. What is the meaning of the green light? Is Gatsby mixed race passing for white? Is the narrator gay? I thought the book was good, but I was not particularly moved.