“So we beat on, boats against the current”

The 1920’s; when flappers were floating around town and all the men looked rather dashing. A time when alcohol was prohibited, but it ran thick and through. Those times seemed easier, especially for falling in love and becoming friends with someone you would never imagine.

This story is about a young man named Nick Carraway. Born in Minnesota and a former attendant of Yale, it’s made out to be that he is incredibly smart. He took part in WWI and decided to take it easy after that by retreating to his home in West Egg.

One day, he decides to meet with his cousin Daisy to have some tea and lunch. From that day on, everything he ever knew was about to change.

From the classic book, to the newly released blockbuster movie, it’s clear to see that “The Great Gatsby” holds power in it’s story and the deep connections to the characters that we all hold close to us. I remember reading this book in high school for an English class, and the new movie was about to be released about the time that we had started reading the book. Since high school I have gone back and re-read the book, now being grown and understanding much more of the vocabulary and metaphors. The first time around, I was not a fan. I thought it was slow paced and it didn’t help that I didn’t understand parts of what they were saying. Needless to say, I wasn’t a fan at a young age. When I gave the book another go, my perspective quickly changed.

As I grew older, my appreciation grew as well. I am now 19 years old, and I have read the book four times, and I still can’t get enough. The use of metaphors and similes works really nicely. The most prominent metaphors displayed throughout the book is the flashing green light located on the end of Daisy’s dock and the eyes of doctor T.J. Eckelburg.

The light at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock represents Gatsby’s one goal to reach: win Daisy’s love. There is a large backstory between these two prominent characters, but I will not spoil the details.

T.J. Eckelburg is a character we never truly get to meet, but is a dominating force throughout our long list of metaphors. Between West Egg and New York City there is a billboard advertising for Doctor T.J. Eckelburg, optometrist. The billboard shows his a set of blue eyes. These blue eyes can be seen as a representation of God himself watching over the town and all the events that take place between the people of this novel.

This novel is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a Minnesota man and one of my favorite writers of all time. It’s been shown that Fitzgerald wrote this book as a representation of his life. Many believe that he wrote himself into the book as Nick Carraway. Gatsby and his character Nick Carraway were both born and lived in Minnesota. They also both attended Ivy-League schools. Fitzgerald went to Princeton and Carraway went to Yale. It’s also been said that their personalities seem the same. Is this true? Or are some people spewing out fan theories?

There are two variations of the movie that have been released. One was released in 1974 and one in 2013. The movie that was released in 1974 seems to use the book as a script. When I watched this variation of the movie, I personally was not a fan. Every movement and word said almost seemed like it was being read directly off a note card. Also, I was reading exact sentences and movements in the movie as portrayed by in the script.

The 2013 release went above and beyond my expectation. I enjoy the modern twist it brought and the movie was very similar to the book. I may be biased because I also enjoy Leonardo Dicaprio and believe he did an accurate representation of Gatsby.

If you haven’t read this book, I definitely recommend it along with watching the movie. You can conduct your own analysis of the two literary outlets.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” -The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Breanna Roen is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]