Want to figure out the important themes in The Great Gatsby?
I know you do, so stay tuned.
Hey there.
It’s Professor Bernstein, and in this episode of Get Into Lit, I’m going to help you figure
out the possible theme or themes in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel.
Teachers often ask you to talk or write about the theme of literary works, and so many students
struggle because they don’t understand the difference between the subject or topic of
the story and the theme.
So let’s just make sure you’re totally clear.
The subject or topic of the novel is basically what the story is about.
A really simplistic way of describing the subject of The Great Gatsby is to say it’s
Nick Carraway’s reflection on his experience while living in West Egg (which, FYI, is actually
Great Neck—a town on Long Island—a place where I grew up).
And honestly there are a wide range of ways you could summarize the subject.
The theme of a novel isn’t its plot or subject.
It’s not just what happens.
The theme is the larger, broader message that the novel seems to be communicating, and
there
can be multiple, sometimes conflicting themes in a work of literature.
Now this is where lots of students start freaking out and start searching the Internet for someone
else’s idea about the theme of the story.
Maybe that’s what you’re doing right now. . .hoping that I’m going to give you the
answer.
Giving you the answer is lame.
I think more highly of you than that.
What you need more than someone else’s answer is to learn how to ask yourself the right
questions so that you can figure it out for yourself.
Trust me. . .this approach is a lot cooler.
. .it makes you smarter.
. .it actually teaches you how to Get Into Lit.
So here are 4 main sets of questions you can ask yourself when you’re starting to read
The Great Gatsby and they’ll help you start figuring out one or more of the possible themes
of this great work of American Literature.
1.
The very first thing I want you to do is just think about the American Dream.
When you think about it, what comes to mind?
Start with your own images and ideas about this dream.
Really.
Trust yourself.
2.
Now, I want you to ask yourself this question: Where do the characters in the story seem
to be situated in relation to the American Dream?
Have they realized it?
Why?
Why not?
Are they striving to achieve it?
How does the novel convey this striving?
Are they happy with where they’re at in relation to it?
Why?
Why not?
How can we tell?
What clues does the novel provide us in terms of their feelings about their situation?
Write down these questions.
. .you want to have them present when you’re reading.
3.
Keep in mind that the characters don’t have complete control over their representation.
Their descriptions are being filtered through the consciousness of Nick Carraway, the narrator,
and, of course, ultimately through F. Scott Fitzgerald.
So we really need to get a sense of Nick’s perspective and feelings on the American Dream—or
at least the culture of his time—and how it differs from place to place.
To understand these things, you’re going to have to look carefully at the first few
pages of the novel, and in the next video, I’m going to get you into these opening
passages.
For now, though, just remember that the point of view in a novel shapes how and what we
see—and what we don’t see.
So think about Nick’s perspective on the characters and their relation to the American
dream.
4.
Now I want to bring together the previous questions to take you to a higher level of
interpretation—one that’s going to get you closer to figuring out one of the novel’s
themes.
Is there one character who seems, at least on the outside to have achieved the American
Dream but who is still aching and unsatisfied?
What has this character achieved?
What hasn’t this character achieved?
Is it an external or internal thing?
What is the narrator—Nick Carraway’s—perspective on this character?
Here’s are the big questions—Does the novel seem to be sending a message about the
American Dream and/or the culture of the 1920s?
Is it a message about America in general or about a certain group of people or certain
groups of people living in certain places?
Is it a positive, negative, or mixed message?
How would you describe this message?
Does it ever get conveyed in a direct way—in a particular sentence or passage?
Or is it a more subtle message that’s conveyed through the characters’ lives and the narrator
and something we have to figure out for ourselves?
So there you go—you’ve got a set of questions that can help YOU start figuring out some
of the themes in The Great Gatsby.
You can do this—you can come up with your own unique way of identifying and describing
the theme.
You might feel a little uncertain and nervous at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.
Make sure you check out the next video in the series…where I’m guiding you into
the first few pages of the novel.
If you liked this video, I’d love it if you liked it, left a comment, and subscribed
to my channel!
That’s it for now.
Bye.