Gatsby's greatness transcends decades

F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel "The Great Gatsby" has withstood the test of time. The illuminating novel about the degradation of the American dream during the 1920s is still succeeding in the literary world. In fact, "The Great Gatsby" is the Bloomington Area Arts Council's choice for the 2006 One Book One Bloomington & Beyond campaign. Copies of the Jazz-age novel are being stocked at local bookstores around the area, and a series of community discussions will be held at the end of this month and throughout March. \nIn order to truly understand why the novel is revered so wonderfully, one must take a closer look at why the novel has survived. The story details the life of several recently-rich soldiers just after World War I. The main character, Jay Gatsby, is not very endearing. He makes money through the sale of bootlegged liquor, throws eccentric jazz parties every Saturday night, and loves and pursues a married woman, Daisy, to the detriment of every character in the novel.\nIt is Nick, the novel's narrator, who makes the book seem more personal. His perspectives and attitudes toward the other characters are enlightening, and his reactions to the climatic actions in the novel are imperfect yet endearing.\nAlmost more important than the characters is the symbolism within Fitzgerald's work. One could say that the novel is still important to the understanding of the 1920s, and has assimilated itself into American mythology, more due to the symbolism than the actual characters. \nOne of the most prominent symbols is the green light across from Gatsby's mansion on Daisy's dock. Gatsby's love for Daisy is barred by the green light, representative of the greed and obsession with the rise in social status which dominates all of the wealthy characters (Gatsby and his neighbors). The weather is also symbolic in the novel. When Daisy and Gatsby are reunited, the weather is dark and raining, hazy like the green light on the dock.\nOne of the most powerful symbols in the novel comes from the eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg on the billboard that overlooks the town. His eyes inspire characters to do self-searching, condemn themselves or each other, and may even result in paranoia. They can be interpreted as a God-like representation or taken out of Turkish mythology and seen as the "evil eye". Fitzgerald leaves the symbol open to interpretation.\nOverall, "The Great Gatsby" has survived because it beautifully depicts an age of turmoil and intermediary change. The characters just witnessed a brutal war that damaged the dreams of many. Society desperately attempts to regain what it lost through the pursuit of money, lust and social status, caught up in a whirlwind of jazz music and fancy parties in a mansion somewhere in West Egg.