It is no exaggeration to say that by the ending of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I was very invested into the story and its characters, and that it was by far one of the saddest endings I have ever read. What happens when Gatsby dies is what I think is everyone's, (or at least my own), worst nightmare. Dying unremembered.
But then I realized that it's not really fair to say that Gatsby actually did die unremembered, because he did have Nick and his dad (thank God) come to remember him. But just the fact that someone like Gatsby, with his status, and wealth, not to mention his raging parties, was remembered by hardly anyone is still enough for it to make it on my list of all time saddest endings ever.
Throughout the book, we saw how Gatsby lived, free from the constraints of government authority and a 9 to 5 with all the money he could ever want. Yet, all his money and status bought him were fake friends (excluding Nick). Everyone that went to all of Gatsby's parties appreciated him for his house and his booze, therefore when he died and could no longer supply that, people simply moved on. These people only appreciated the idea of Gatsby, or what he was on the outside. They were able to enjoy all the perks of Gatsby without being emotionally connected. Nick, on the other hand had an actual emotional connection with Gatsby, and although he enjoyed the many perks of being friends with Jay Gatsby, he also had to take on some of the emotional baggage that came with being a true friend. Being the caring person he was, Nick didn't just wave off Gatsby's problems and let him deal with them on his own, but offered advice to Gatsby, and tried to help him understand what his life could realistically look like. In fact, he does it all the way till the end when Gatsby is dead and says " I'll get somebody for you Gatsby. Don't worry" ( Fitzgerald, 164). Once again, Gatsby having no one at his funeral isn't entirely Nick's problem, but Nick makes it his problem, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is what should be expected from a true friend.
(below Nick and Gatsby's dad at the funeral)
But then I realized that it's not really fair to say that Gatsby actually did die unremembered, because he did have Nick and his dad (thank God) come to remember him. But just the fact that someone like Gatsby, with his status, and wealth, not to mention his raging parties, was remembered by hardly anyone is still enough for it to make it on my list of all time saddest endings ever.
Throughout the book, we saw how Gatsby lived, free from the constraints of government authority and a 9 to 5 with all the money he could ever want. Yet, all his money and status bought him were fake friends (excluding Nick). Everyone that went to all of Gatsby's parties appreciated him for his house and his booze, therefore when he died and could no longer supply that, people simply moved on. These people only appreciated the idea of Gatsby, or what he was on the outside. They were able to enjoy all the perks of Gatsby without being emotionally connected. Nick, on the other hand had an actual emotional connection with Gatsby, and although he enjoyed the many perks of being friends with Jay Gatsby, he also had to take on some of the emotional baggage that came with being a true friend. Being the caring person he was, Nick didn't just wave off Gatsby's problems and let him deal with them on his own, but offered advice to Gatsby, and tried to help him understand what his life could realistically look like. In fact, he does it all the way till the end when Gatsby is dead and says " I'll get somebody for you Gatsby. Don't worry" ( Fitzgerald, 164). Once again, Gatsby having no one at his funeral isn't entirely Nick's problem, but Nick makes it his problem, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is what should be expected from a true friend.
(below Nick and Gatsby's dad at the funeral)
The ending was pretty sad. I think Gatsby was naive, but he definitely didn't deserve that death. Dying with no one to remember you is probably the saddest death, and money can't buy friends or happiness. I liked your post :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that despite Gatsby's immense wealth, it was solely material wealth because his life lacked many of the things that make life important, including true friends. It was interesting how you explored the differences between Nick's relationship with Gatsby and the relationship Gatsby had with the other characters. Your statement that Nick made Gatsby's funeral his problem was really powerful!
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