nothing's what it seems.

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    Before I begin, prior to reading the book I heard of people hating the characters, and I told myself I will try to be the best devil advocate and try to like them. With that being said, roughly 10-15 pages in, I gave up on that idea because besides Gatsby and Nick, we encounter the scum of society such as Tom, woman that represent nothing of any woman a man would want such as Myrtle and  the dishonest Jordan Baker. As I read the novel, I connect to it very deeply.  I witness this fight between old money and new money, in a world where most people have
 no money. And as I read this book it sickness me how there are people busting their ass doing 16 hour shifts, 40 hour work weeks to barely pay off their expenses and just 15 minutes away from the area there are people driving in cars that could pay off my tuition fees like 5 times and than there are others who think it is a normal way of life. In the novel it is this idea of New money v.s Old money and we see it everyday in our city, just compare Rosedale and Maple. Unfortunately, it is usually old money folks who run this country and perhaps there lies the discontinuity of any connection between the average folk and a politician from Forest Hill.

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   In the novel, Tom cheats on his wife, has an affair with a woman named Myrtle and they proceed with the scandal like it is normal. Myrtles, husband, Mr.Wilson, lives in the valley of Ashes and just witnesses his wife go off with a man each weekend, knowing full well what is going on and he does nothing... Interestingly enough, the Valley of Ashes is equivalent to the character of Tom Buchanan, and that is a scum, a waste area, a dump, literally a piece of shit. The valley of Ashes represents the by product of the Capitalist system (don't get me wrong, im probably the most right wing student in my school, but even I know everything has an opportunity cost). The way Tom can go and take Myrtle is kind of similar the way the rich take so much from the middle class. If they want lower taxes and less public education funds in order for that to happen, a lobbyist just has to make a phone call. Similar to that of how when Tom wants Myrtle, she is just a phone call away.

   The novel, is titled "The Great Gatsby", so where is this great man. We have witnessed his marvelous home, filled with feasts, a Rolls Royce, free moving liquor but the main character is a mystery. Although he appears he is still a mystery because we do not know about him. However, in the chapter we meet a character named OWL EYES, who is just chilling at the library, filled with hundreds of books, classy eh. Too bad none of them are read. So on the cover Gatsby looks like he has that class, significance, not to mention wealth because literature wasn't cheap in the 20's, yet the dude hasn't cracked a page, just like he hasn't cracked a truth about his life/past. This symbolizes, how perhaps this man is the amazing man on paper, but his character lacks the depth of the image he upholds. Or perhaps, he just doesn't like reading ... Make me wonder, what is this guy about, what's he chasing?