3 Life Lessons from The Great Gatsby

What do you think of when you hear “the 1920’s”?

Parties?

Flappers?

Prohibition?

The Great Gatsby?

All those words come to mind for most people. It seems like The Great Gatsby almost defines the 20’s era. I just finished the book and I loved it! I really connected with the themes, characters, and topics. It has so many great ideas inside its covers. The main character is Jay Gatsby, and he throws some crazy parties. Everyone is at his parties, and almost nobody is invited.

Gatsby was born without much wealth, and he becomes successful by being a bootlegger (selling illegal alcohol during Prohibition). Gatsby is so ambitious because he wants to be rich enough for the girl of his dreams, Daisy. He had a relationship with her, then went off to war, and she got married to another guy, named Tom. After this, he does everything he can to win her back. Spoiler Alert: Gatsby ends up being shot by Tom’s mistress’s husband. The book has a tragic ending, but it illustrates the main points amazingly! Here are three life lessons I took from The Great Gatsby:

1. Surround Yourself With People Who Will be With You Until the End

During His life, Gatsby’s house was always crowded with people. Everyone knew who he was, but almost nobody really cared about him. When he died at the end of the book, only three people came to his funeral. Since Gatsby was so obsessed with Daisy, he didn’t focus on any other relationships. Don’t drown in a pool of shallow friends. Make sure that your relationships go deeper than surface level.

2. Money Will Never Complete You

Much of the action in this book centers around wealth and the lack of it. Gatsby couldn’t have Daisy because he wasn’t wealthy enough. Daisy’s husband, Tom, mainly won her due to his money. And that’s where the problems start. All of the issues in the story seem to center around money. Yet Gatsby does whatever he can to make it because he thinks it will get him what he wants. Theoretically, this should have worked, but it all came to nothing. Money is never the answer.

3. Remember Your Past, But Don’t Be Defined By It

Both Gatsby and Daisy were somewhat trapped in their past. But we don’t have to be. Our past gives our lives important contexts, and we learn a lot from it. When it starts to limit us, we need to make sure that we break free and move beyond us. We are not our past.

The Great Gatsby was a great read and filled with layered meaning. It’s considered an American classic for a reason!