Journal Entry #1: A Reflection on Why I Chose My Novel

I picked "The Great Gatsby" for a few key reasons that really spoke to me. One of the biggest draws was my ongoing curiosity about the American Dream, especially how it's tackled in literature. Fitzgerald’s take on this idea stands out because he doesn't just glorify it; he pulls back the curtain to show its glittering allure and the emptiness that often follows the relentless chase for wealth and status. The novel captures the Jazz Age with its extravagance and excess, but at the same time, it lays bare the hollowness that can come with the pursuit of material success. While I’d heard that "The Great Gatsby" critiques the American Dream, I wanted to experience this commentary and see how it played out in the narrative.

Another reason I was drawn to the book is the complexity of its characters. Each one represents different aspects of human nature, which piqued my interest. Gatsby’s obsessive ambition, Daisy’s longing for a time that’s gone, and Nick’s shifting perspectives on the world all had me hooked. I was eager to see how their personal dreams would intertwine and ultimately spiral into tragedy.

Finally, the setting of the novel felt especially relevant. Taking place during the Jazz Age, it reflects the disillusionment that followed World War I. I wanted to see how Fitzgerald captured the cultural shifts of that time through his characters and their actions. The more I read about the book, the more I realized how its themes; the pursuit of dreams, moral decay, and the tension between appearance and reality; go beyond the 1920s. They still speak to modern struggles, which is why the novel felt compelling.

This kind of exploration of dreams, especially in a time of rapid social change, reminds me of "Death of a Salesman"; another work that critiques the American Dream. In both, characters are consumed by their visions of success, only to be confronted by the harsh reality that those dreams are often out of reach. It’s a reminder of the dangers of chasing ideals without seeing the full picture