The Eternal Green Light

The Timelessness of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”

BY BIANCA LLERENA

Well into my middle school English class, during the whimsical era of “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien and “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton, my class collectively stumbled down the rabbit hole of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and we never looked back.

Filling out reading guides and memorizing the difference between the West Egg and East Egg suburbs, I rolled my eyes with each assignment. But once we dove further into the book, learned about “old” money versus “new” money, realized the movie adaptation had both Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, and were lured by the mysterious green light at the end of the dock…I was hooked.

Based in the 1920’s, “The Great Gatsby” follows Nick Carraway, a writer who moves to West Egg on Long Island and somehow gets caught up in Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of his cousin Daisy Buchanan. But this novel stayed relevant way past the 1920’s. The aesthetic, the pathetic romance, the relatableness of Nick Carraway. Everything begins blurry but as the novel goes on, the image comes into focus and explains the reasoning behind every character.

So, every once in a while, I return to the novel, the movie adaptation, and the soundtrack I have on CD, and I drift. Back to the first time I understood that the green light was a multi-faceted symbol of desperate love and hope, that Gatsby was dead before the bullet ever entered his body, and that he was throwing those parties in hopes of reuniting with his love. How tragic.

And then a few months pass. And I watch the movie again. And the same cycle repeats over again.

But what is it about “The Great Gatsby” that keeps drawing us back for more? Maybe it’s the intoxicating blend of glamor and tragedy, the draw of a world where anything seems possible yet nothing is quite as it seems. It’s a simple exploration of love and loss. But it’s the simplicity that allows for wind to flow above and between the words and stirs emotions.

“The Great Gatsby” is foggy with a timeless aesthetic. From the opulent parties to the drama, Fitzgerald’s world is infused with a sense of extravagant fantasy. Watching the movie for the first time in class, which turns 11 years this May, hit like no other. Daisy Buchanan, with her flowing dresses and strands of pearls, the epitome of 1920’s glamor and allure, just made sense.

And the music carries that same effect. The jazz bands playing at Gatsby’s parties and the movie soundtrack with Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Florence & The Machine; the music of the Jazz Age held its ground. I can imagine the fantasy world of flappers and speakeasies, of suits and cigars, The Valley of Ashes and New York City as my CD plays.

As the music fades and the credits roll, I find myself lingering in the world of “The Great Gatsby,” reluctant to return to reality. I believe that future generations will feel the same, albeit with adaptations, reinterpretations, and reimaginings that keep breathing new life into this timeless tale.

“The Great Gatsby” continues to evolve and adapt with the times.

It stays timeless with themes of love, ambition, and the pursuit of the American Dream – themes that resonate just as strongly today as they did in the Jazz Age. Something about Jay Gatsby struck a chord inside of me. Him and his cast of friends and enemies who seem larger than life, performers in their societies.

A cultural phenomenon, “The Great Gatsby” draws readers in. And as long as there are dreamers and romantics and seekers of the extraordinary, the legend of Gatsby will continue to live on. Write me a book set in New York with a man who can’t just tell someone how he feels and you’ll have at least one devoted reader.

The 1920’s, a decade of feverish wealth and high status, holds a space on shelves forever. Thanks to Fitzgerald, the immortal green light glows from Daisy and Tom’s dock as a giant billboard of eyes floats beside me, and as I lay reading, Gatsby is hoping that this time, Daisy will be his again.