Reading "The Great Gatsby" at Classic Academy (Ending)

Chapter 5, 6 and 7

It’s the end of another week, and we can finally bring an end to “The Great Gatsby”.

I witnessed Gatsby collapse in the swimming pool, and witnessed that after his death, the once bustling and luxurious villa suddenly became deserted, desolate and miserable.

Everything is flashy, but ultimately it is so empty that it makes people tremble. Gatsby and Daisy, Nick and Baker, the so-called love, are all gone.

In the TV series "Nirvana in Fire", there is a pair of love, even if it is not the main line, but people who have watched the show will not ignore it, that is the love between Xie Yu and Princess Liyang.

Mei Changsu was worthy of Prince Jing, worthy of his dead father and comrades, worthy of his friends and millions of people in Daliang, but he was worthy of Ni Huang. Apart from visiting Prince Mu's Mansion in winter, and suddenly picking up the fallen petals from her hair, apart from a few love words when he held Nihuang in his arms, apart from the words when he wanted to be Lin Shu again, "This is a promise in this life, You will practice it in the next life." His love seemed too little and too empty. Princess Nihuang was the person who had been waiting for him for more than ten years. This love was too incomplete.

He can win the hearts of the world, but in the case of Nihuang, the unparalleled Jiangzuo Meilang is powerless.

Xie Yu’s relationship with Princess Liyang was destined to be a tragedy from the moment the love affair that confused the true feelings and broke up the couple was revealed. After the marriage, we seemed to see that Li Yang did not love Xie Yu wholeheartedly. The strong-tempered eldest princess worked hard to give birth to and protect Jingrui, who was born to Nanchu Zhengzi, and lived with Xie Yu like an ordinary couple. decades. What about Xie Yu? Xie Yu is willing to sacrifice everything for Li Yang. When King Yu's soldiers surrounded the Ningguo Marquis' Mansion, when Xie Yu was tit for tat with Yan Que and King Yu, you took a step forward and I took a step forward, facing each other with angry eyes, it was Li Yang who told him to put down his sword. We can never forget that scene. Facing his wife with a knife at his neck, Xie Yu, who had killed countless people in his life and was called the "pillar of the country's protector" by the emperor, became like a helpless child. He asked tremblingly: "Li Yang, are you really going to do this? For...for Jingrui, are you really going to abandon me?"

A generation of heroes fell and knelt down. In the ancestral hall, he stroked Li Yang's shoulder and murmured: "Li Yang, these years, I really, really like you."

Just because you threatened me with your sword, I It’s okay to let go of everything I’ve acquired over the years. I can win tonight, but if I lose you, even if I win the world, so what.

Xie Yu has been guilty a lot in his life, but he can't get past the one he loves.

Does Gatsby, who was willing to take the blame and fall into the swimming pool, look like Xie Yu?

Like, loving someone is like a moth flying into a flame, but in the end the dream is shattered into pieces.

You may ask, am I going to compare Daisy to Li Yang.

Of course not.

I said before that we seem to see that Li Yang does not love Xie Yu wholeheartedly. But does Li Yang really not love Xie Yu?

When the storm subsided, Liyang pointed the sword at King Yu and asked him to swear in the name of the royal family not to be implicated and to treat the table family well. In the Xie family ancestral hall, she said to her husband: "If you feel lonely under the spring, , I will come over to accompany you when I have settled the children." Outside Jinling City, on the way to farewell, she gave him money and clothes, and she carried the bag of tips that could preserve his name with her, never leaving him.

In her heart, she longed for him to live; in her heart, Xie Yu was her husband. She loves.

How can these be compared to a beautiful person who worships material money, is romantic, plays with emotions, and is irresponsible. There is absolutely no comparison.

To this day, I still firmly believe that it was Gatsby himself who turned Daisy into a perfect being in his mind. Everything is his fantasy. I think that what he loves is no longer Daisy as a person, but the perfect existence in his mind, the self that moved him because of Daisy's waiting to be single.

Gatsby waited for her for five years. Five years later, he gave his life for this woman, or in other words, it was because of this woman that he met his end.

I don’t know what Gatsby was thinking when Wilson shot; I don’t know what Daisy was thinking after learning about Gatsby’s death. The people who played and drank in Gatsby’s house every night during his lifetime were not even willing to pay their respects and visit him.

The villas on Long Island were deserted, like castles abandoned by giants.

I was chatting with Brother Cong about this book last night. Brother Cong said: "I always thought this was a personal tragedy. Why do the book reviews say it is a social tragedy? Where is society? He voluntarily took the blame for Daisy, and his death was all because of himself. Isn't this a typical personal tragedy?"

This is what Fitzgerald is profound about, he puts this question aside. given to each of us.

To answer this question, we still have to start from the very beginning. The so-called "hustle and bustle era" in the United States is the source of everything.

After World War I, the United States did not suffer heavy losses from the war. On the contrary, relying on its status as an Allied power and the loans and weapons sold during the war, the United States became the largest creditor nation. The "laissez-faire" policy allowed the power of the market to sweep across North America, and the economy was so prosperous that cars formed a long river on the streets of New York, like the endless blood of the capitalist world. Stocks, securities, including gambling, have turned a large number of speculators into nouveau riche. Overnight, they have become millionaires who spend a lot of money and live a life that is envied by everyone.

What’s so good about Daisy? Although I hate to admit it, Daisy's appearance must have attracted me as much as it attracted Nick and thousands of readers. If there really is a woman like Daisy in this world, I think it would be difficult for a man not to be impressed by her who lives in an oil painting. Fitzgerald described her appearance this way:

"The only completely still thing in the living room was a huge sofa, on which sat two young women, who looked as if they were sitting on the floor. On the big balloon. Both of them were wearing white clothes, and their skirts were constantly waving and swaying, as if they had just returned from a balloon ride around the house. I couldn't help but stand still, and all I could hear was the rustling of the curtains and the wall. A hanging painting groaned. Then there was a sudden banging sound. It turned out that it was Tom Buchanan closing the back window, and then the wind in the living room gradually subsided, and the curtains, carpets and the two young women finally slowly died down. Falling to the ground."

She is as beautiful as a fairy, as light as a swallow, with a beautiful face and elegant temperament. This is Daisy, the woman who has fascinated Gatsby for five years. Fitzgerald gave Daisy a nice name, and also gave her a perfect metaphor - Daisy's English name (Daisy) is a kind of flower with yellow in the middle and white around it, like a flower that exudes sparkling gold and is empty. Incomparable flashy wealth. What is beauty and what is success? In the eyes of Gatsby and many young people, beauty is Daisy and success is Daisy. For Gatsby, winning back Daisy is the best proof that he has "succeeded" after years of struggle. This is one of the goals of every young person with the "American Dream". But Daisy is extremely materialistic. She loves wealth more than any man. She deals with Gatsby and Tom skillfully. After seeing Gatsby's wealth, she couldn't help crying; After driving and killing her husband's mistress, she calmly let Gatsby take responsibility for her. She has an appearance like Haidee, and a ruthless, cold, and terrifying heart like Medusa. Young people are fascinated by Daisy's appearance, but they cannot see Daisy's heart. This is the illusion of so-called wealth and status in that noisy era and society, and it is the most important reason why the "American Dream" is broken.

The "American Dream" is the spiritual pillar of all American youth and the soul of the American people. They persistently believe that with a strong body, an independent attitude, and unremitting efforts and struggle, they can live the way they want and get everything they hope for. From the work and rest schedule brought by Gatsby's father in the last chapter, we can see that Gatsby was such a young man:

What a motivated young man, how eager to break his background and join the ranks How the people at the top hope to use their own efforts to earn a place for themselves in this era. I think most people are the same as Gatsby, thinking that it will be enough if they work hard. But is it really enough if you work hard?

Of course not.

The existence of social classes makes it easy to erase all of this. Many years later, Gatsby became a millionaire. The woman he fell in love with but couldn't afford to marry built such a big villa across the river from his house, and entertained celebrities from all over New York to come and drink and have fun all night long, but he just looked towards Daisy on the other side in the dead of night. The green light from the dock at home stretched out a hand slightly. So close to the end of the world.

If it hadn't been for Nick's appearance, and if it hadn't been for the distant relative relationship between Nick and Daisy, he probably still wouldn't have dared to take the step to meet Daisy. A large part of the reason for this stems from his own inferiority and self-contempt. Gatsby was not a born aristocrat. He was a nouveau riche, an instant rich man. He did not have the temperament of an aristocrat. He said that he was from a wealthy family in the Midwest and that he had studied in Oxford, England. All of this was immediately discovered by Nick and Tom, because this lie was quite poor. What else could be the reason for a person to lie to cover up his low educational qualifications and cover up his background? Of course it is because he is not confident enough. He tries his best to make up for his shortcomings with the upper class, but he cannot fundamentally change everything; he tries his best to imitate the lifestyle of the aristocracy, but it can only bring bigger jokes. Even if he, a short-term upstart, is wealthy, he will not be recognized and accepted by the "real" upper class represented by Tom Buchanan. These solidified classes will never allow the existence of people like Gatsby who want to be on an equal footing with them after rising from the ground. So in the end, Tom contributed a lot to Gatsby's death. In this "hustle and bustle era", there is a difference between rich and rich, and the gap between classes is like mountains and valleys. When you climb from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain and think you can overlook the entire kingdom, those who have already occupied the top of the mountain will kick you down. They do not allow a person from a lowly background to experience the pleasure of seeing all the small mountains with them - that is their privilege.

Just like Julien Sohel, who eventually also met his demise, I mentioned it in my first post-reading review. How similar.

This is the root of social tragedy.

Let me add a sentence here. I personally believe that the tragedy caused by this class has always existed in our society today, and it is difficult to shake.

In addition to its profound thoughts, as far as writing is concerned, the writing style of "The Great Gatsby" is quite beautiful. Fitzgerald poured his elegance and sincerity into his writing. Every metaphor, personification, and subtle image he uses elevates the artistic height of this book to a level that is hard to put down. The characters created by Fitzgerald, as well as the ways and attitudes of these characters pursuing love, can often inadvertently remind people of himself. Gatsby is like Fitzgerald in the past, and more like every young man who has been humbled in love but has continued to struggle.

In the blink of an eye, another week has passed, and Mr. Gatsby is already waving goodbye to me. I like him, I like to see him standing on the beach, looking at the shining green light of Daisy's dock in the distance and stretching out his arms involuntarily; I like Gatsby's house, which witnessed the sensuality and sleepless nights of that era. Villa, I like the drunken people of all religions in the garden, I like the sound of music and laughter floating in the wind from the house, and I like the quiet, lonely, lonely and even desolate figure of Gatsby in a suit and tie behind all the noise.

I also increasingly like and admire myself who patiently reads, thinks, and writes every day, and is willing to spend an afternoon checking various books and materials for a question.

Goodbye, Gatsby; Goodbye, Nick.

Goodbye, dear Mr. Fitzgerald.