What people don’t understand about “The Great Gatsby”

As I reflect on my college days, I remember being introduced to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” At 16, the novel was just another piece of required reading. Little did I know that it would take years and my journey through failure and regret to truly grasp its essence.

The Great Gatsby isn’t just a tale of the Roaring Twenties; it’s about learning to move on. And until you face something monumental that you need to move on from, the story might not resonate deeply with you.

Photo by Kati Hoehl on Unsplash

Tom

Tom, born into wealth and privilege, is the quintessential entitled individual. His life has always been about status. He can’t tolerate anyone challenging his superiority. In Tom, we see a man who values opinions over authenticity, leading to a hollow existence. He’s a moral failure, aware of his shortcomings, yet unable to change.

Gatsby

Here’s a man haunted by “What Ifs.”
What if Daisy had chosen him? What if he had been as wealthy as Tom? What if he was “good enough”? Gatsby’s fear of inadequacy drives him into drug dealing, tragically chasing a past failure. It wasn’t until I…