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My daughter's simple question about 'The Great Gatsby' changed my view on the whole book club argument
Our club in Austin was pretty united in seeing Gatsby as a tragic hero, but my 16-year-old asked why we felt sorry for a man who built a life on lies just to win back a married woman. She pointed out he essentially stalked Daisy for five years, which isn't romantic, it's unsettling. That made me realize we'd all glossed over his creepier actions because of the fancy prose. Has anyone else had a younger reader point out a glaring flaw in a book's popular interpretation?
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val_kim7mo ago
That "glossed over his creepier actions" thing hits home, my little cousin said the same about Edward Cullen last year.
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jennifershah6mo ago
You're missing the point if you call Gatsby a stalker. The whole book is about the American Dream being a lie. Gatsby's obsession isn't about a real woman, it's about his idea of a perfect past. Calling him creepy just reduces a tragic story to a modern day drama.
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