On this day, April 10th, one hundred years ago, this great American classic was published. So, why pick up an old book, when there are so many interesting new ones? Several very good reasons. For one, the language is absolutely beautiful— Fitzgerald’s prose is lyrical, fluid, original. You won’t find such beautiful expressions in any modern novel. The language is really not too dated, and is very readable and understandable. Fitzgerald’s observations about people are concise and spot-on. He sizes up people with precise, spare, and humorous detail. It is a relatively brief novel, yet he structures it perfectly, a cautionary tale.

And what is Fitzgerald cautioning us about? Some may say that he was warning about the excesses of capitalism, as this was set in the time after the First World War, during Prohibition, and before the market crash of the Great Depression. It is a time of noteworthy excess, in entertainment, consumption, boundary breaking in society, a frivolous time. And certainly, Gatsby’s parties exemplify all of that excess. We learn that he had a serious reason for staging those, however.

Gatsby led a life of mystery, since the true story was boring, at best. Born to grinding poverty on a North Dakota farm, he re-invents himself in every way— not as a phony, but as a means of self improvement, believing that he could be so much more. However, even in America, there are class boundaries, old money versus new money, money honestly made versus tainted money, and the old guard jealously protects those boundaries. Gatsby meets Daisy, they fall in love, a genuine, deep love. They are separated by war, and Daisy uses that time to meet and marry Tom Buchanan, before Gatsby can return and claim her. For Daisy knows, and Buchanan knows, what the rules of old money are. Daisy does not have the character to be transgressive, she ultimately sticks with her kind, does not follow her heart.

I won’t spoil the ending, although most were forced to read this novel in high school. Most of us could not appreciate how masterfully it is structured, how elegantly expressed, how perfectly characterized. It isn’t until you’ve read many contemporary novels, that you can really appreciate Fitzgerald’s achievement. His caution is to be honest about who you are, especially with yourself. To not try to recreate, relive, or revise the past, but live completely in the present. Beware of users, but be open to helping someone in need. Don’t judge others, since we have so much that is found wanting. Try to see people for who they are, not the façade they try to sell. Fitzgerald does so much in his small book, and it is all worth exploring today.

Pick up this American classic novel, enjoy its mastery, and celebrate its 100th anniversary.