Book/Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

One of North Shore’s best classes, taught by the one and only Dr. Maxwell, is AP English Language and Composition. Students engage in in-depth analyses of esteemed works of literature and are tasked to write about them in preparation for the May AP exam. One of the class favorites is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Students recently read the book and watched the movie in class. The plot is as follows: Gatsby, a man who comes from nothing, builds himself up to be one of the richest people in his town of West Egg, located in New York.​​ In the summer of 1922, the narrator, Nick Carraway, travels to New York to learn about the bond industry. He moves into a home in Long Island's West Egg district, a neighborhood populated by the rich. The mysterious Jay Gatsby turns out to be his neighbor, living in a castle-like home and hosting the town's biggest parties every weekend. He does so in the hopes of attracting Daisy, his old love. He desperately wants to see her. Gatsby and Daisy were in a relationship before Gatsby went off to war. Daisy promised she wouldn’t leave his side and would wait for him to return from the army. Daisy fails to remain loyal and ultimately breaks away from her promise. Following his return from the war, Gatsby does all he can to bring Daisy back into his life; he misses her dearly. So, how is Nick involved? Nick happens to be Daisy’s cousin! At the moment, Daisy is married to a man from East Egg, Tom Buchnanan. Gatsby wants Nick to orchestrate a reunion between himself and Daisy, therefore forming a very close relationship with Nick; Gatsby is a very calculated individual. Nick does as Gatsby wishes and invites Daisy to his home to enjoy some tea, refraining from mentioning that Gatsby will be there. Daisy accepts the invite, she sees Gatsby, and their love is quickly rekindled. If only that's how the book ends… Not everything is a “happily ever after.” You’ll have to find out for yourself what happens next! As one who read the book and watched the movie, I highly recommend you do too! It will definitely keep you entertained for a couple of hours.