Mimslob’s Reviews > The Great Gatsby > Status Update

I didn't expect everything to go down so fast. Although Gatsby tried so hard to become successful and accumulate all this wealth, it seems like he still never reached the same level as Daisy. Not because of the amount of money he has, but because of the “purity” of the wealth he has gained. No matter how you look at it, it just seems like Gatsby's dream will never come true.

The book places a lot of emphasis on the somewhat disappointing feeling Gatsby experiences when he finally meets Daisy. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to be Daisy in this situation either; there’s no way anyone could live up to the expectations of someone who sought them out with such passion. But I think Daisy probably doesn’t care and is happy to receive this much affection and attention.

The relationship between Nick and Baker is surprisingly intriguing. They seemed mismatched and didn't have any chemistry when they first met, but then the author found the right angle and described their evolving relationship in a few paragraphs, making everything make sense. Suddenly, it feels believable for them to become something. And I think that is, undoubtedly, good writing.

I didn't expect the subtextual homoeroticism at the end of Chapter 2 at all. I think it would be really important to keep this little detail in mind as we go on with the book, since it may suggest different meanings in the relationship between Nick and Gatsby once they get to know each other better. And I'm pretty sure that’s intentional, because the way the author put it in there feels too overt to ignore.

In the first chapter, we observe all the characters through Nick's eyes, which seems fitting since he describes himself as “inclined to reserve all judgments” on the first page of the book. I really like how he contrasts people from the East and the West in terms of how they spend their evenings; it’s a subtle but distinct way of showing how privileged their lives are.