A ‘Great’ Anniversary for a Classic American Novel

Whether it’s assigned high school reading, the inspiration for a flapper-themed soirée or even that popular meme of Leonardo DiCaprio raising a coupe of champagne, “The Great Gatsby” still towers over the American culture a century later like the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg peering out on the valley of ashes.

The classic great American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald—a Jazz Age tale that follows mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby on his quest to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan—on Thursday celebrates its centennial. Its glitz, glam, romance and crime have combined to keep the pages turning throughout the years, said University of Maryland English Professor Emeritus Jackson Bryer, an F. Scott Fitzgerald scholar who taught the book for decades. But more than that, he said, its lessons have spoken to generations of readers.

“One of the great beauties of the novel is that every time you teach it, you see new things,” said Bryer, the co-founder and president of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society. “Over the years, times change, and the novel’s appeal was in some ways different depending on what was going on currently in the zeitgeist.”

He outlines five ways “Gatsby’s” themes still resonate today and why we keep reading:

Wealth, class and power remain intertwined.
The novel makes a clear distinction between the refined old money of East Egg, home to “rich, careless people” like Daisy and her husband, Tom; the flashy new money of West Egg, where Gatsby throws lavish parties to prove his wealth; and the poverty of the valley of the ashes, where Myrtle, with whom Tom is having an affair, lives amid dust and squalor. It’s a familiar depiction of society’s income inequality and a handful of haves influencing the have-nots, Bryer said.

“The two people who have real aspirations and have real dreams (Gatsby and Myrtle) end up dead at the hands of the rich, powerful people,” he said. “What does that say in a world today where we are increasingly being told that the rich and powerful control our lives? Does that mean there’s no hope for the dreamers? That’s an interesting question in 2025.”

Its reflection on the American dream is timeless—and complex.
While on the surface, Gatsby’s failure to buy his way into the Buchanans’ world and rekindle his love with Daisy seems to puncture the traditional idea that anyone can be anything they want to be in America, “the story is a little bit more complicated than that,” Bryer said.

Some readers today might sympathize with Gatsby’s idealistic yet ultimately hopeless dreams, while others favor a more realistic approach.

“A critic once wrote that the novel is about ‘the need to accept limitations if life is to be practicable’ vs. ‘the need to aspire beyond limitations if life is to be meaningful,’” Bryer said. “And that’s a wonderful analysis of the basic ambivalence of the novel, which I think makes it appealing no matter what the era is.”

Gatsby gives off influencer vibes.
Gatsby’s extravagant parties become legendary around the Eggs, with orchestras, buffet tents and free-flowing liquor. But it’s all a ruse: Jay Gatsby, who’s really James Gatz from the Midwest, throws the bashes every weekend in the hopes that Daisy will come and see his high status.

It’s not unlike how influencers today present sparkling, luxurious lives online to gain fame and followers without showing the whole picture, Bryer said.

“There are plenty of instances of people who have become something they’re not simply through social media, through self-promotion of various kinds, which is what Gatsby is. He’s a self-promoter,” he said. “The difference is he’s doing it for what some would say would be a romantic, noble reason. Lots of social influencers today, I think, do it for money and for prestige.”

Its portrayal of gender and sexuality offers room for critique and exploration.
While the novel’s three main women—Daisy, Myrtle and Daisy’s friend, Jordan Baker—have distinct voices, Bryer said, all are flawed. Daisy is shallow, Myrtle is unfaithful and Jordan is dishonest, and even Fitzgerald himself lamented not having a strong female character. But those flaws, Bryer argues, invite reflection amid changing gender roles.

“Feminist critics tend to criticize it because the women are not very savory characters in the novel. On the other hand, I would say none of the characters in this novel are immune to criticism,” he said. “That’s one of the strengths of the novel.”

Themes of sexuality, too, present differently in a modern context, Bryer said. For example, scholars have recently theorized that a scene where narrator Nick Carraway stands at the bedside of another man, Mr. McKee, after a party could point to his homosexuality.

It’s short, sweet and wonderfully witty.
Triangular love affairs and social commentary aside, what’s helped keep readers grabbing “The Great Gatsby” for years is Fitzgerald’s writing itself, Bryer said. At just around 200 pages, the book’s combination of “stunning descriptions,” effective dialogue and clever humor have stood the test of time.

“It’s in the language, it’s in the style that its greatest value lies,” Bryer said.