The Great Gatsby: Living the Dream in the Valley of Ashes

In which John discusses critical readings of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, including metaphors and symbols like the color yellow, the green light at the end of the dock, the eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg, the valley of ashes, and the American dream.
I also write books. They are not as good as The Great Gatsby. My new one, The Fault in Our Stars, is available for preorder now: dft.ba/-tfios All preorders will be autographed.
HERE ARE A LOT OF LINKS TO NERDFIGHTASTIC THINGS:
Shirts and Stuff: dftba.com/artist/30/Vlogbrothers
Hank's Music: dftba.com/artist/15/Hank-Green
John's Books: amzn.to/j3LYqo
======================
Hank's Twitter: / hankgreen
Hank's Facebook: / hankimon
Hank's tumblr: / edwardspoonhands
John's Twitter: / realjohngreen
John's Facebook: / johngreenfans
John's tumblr: / fishingboatproceeds
======================
Other Channels
Crash Course: / crashcourse
SciShow: / scishow
Gaming: / hankgames
VidCon: / vidcon
Hank's Channel: / hankschannel
Truth or Fail: / truthorfail
======================
Nerdfighteria
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effyeahnerdfighters.com/nftumblrs
/ nerdfighters
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A Bunny
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[@f.t.pjackson7903]

Great Gatsby also known as The Bae across the Bay

[@Sam-hi4ce]

i have never hated anything more. good work

[@lukeloobey]

The Bae Bay?

[@archertheo6898]

i know im randomly asking but does someone know a trick to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my account password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me

[@jaxonabraham9931]

@Archer Theo instablaster =)

[@archertheo6898]

@Jaxon Abraham thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and I'm trying it out now. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@TheGarethHowell]

I think Gatsby's love for Daisy is ironic, he hasn't been with her for years, so perhaps, he, like everyone else, is in love with an idea that they think will make them happy. Daisy isn't the promise of status and wealth. She is to Gatsby, what status and wealth are to everyone else

[@kikignis]

hi gareth

[@ohkay680]

Yeo he even says something like her voice is full of money something along those lines. Gatsby I believe is more so in love with the idea of Daisy rather than Daisy herself.

[@nat4465]

Yes, I came to the conclusion that he was more in love with the idea of the ideal life he created in his mind of himself and she seemed to fit perfectly in that dream to him. She was all that was missing. He had a “Platonic conception of himself… So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” (Chapter 6)

[@leo_8492]

What is Gatsby's favorite superhero? Green Lantern.

[@gdnemec0]

...really...

[@brendanbirce4915]

Who is his least favorite? Deadpool.

[@leo_8492]

Brendan Birce Dude. Spoiler warning.

[@melancholykiller]

Brendan Birce ahaha you are amazing!!Lmao

[@abbyensslen4050]

NO.

[@Makeawishbecometrue]

Just finished writing an essay on Gatsby, one of my favourite quotes is about the one about Daisy- 'Her voice is full of money'- i think it just materialises the old money background she comes from so precisely and singularly, and it could show that Gatsby ultimately could never be with Daisy because no matter how much he earned he could never have that intrinsic quality about him that Daisy has.

[@samrose1980]

I love this analysis - it is one of my favourite quotes too

[@epgoodfruit]

And then Gatsby gets to use his pool :'(

[@scooterbriody2252]

+Erika Petersen I think that perfectly summed up what happens at the end of the book.

[@tovekauppi1616]

Yeah, I was like well that's one way to put it... I mean I know he said no spoilers in the beginning but I think he failed on that count anyway

[@ImranZakhaev9]

I read the book and even so it sounds like you're referring to Gatsby drowning

[@lifotheparty6195]

As a guy that grew up in extreme poverty, found my opportunity to advance above my station through a combination of networking and military service, I find Gatsby insanely relatable. I myself had to reconcile the realities of my life against the dreams that fueled the advancement in my early 30’s. Having accomplished every childhood dream while also being terribly sad and alone. Gatsby’s death breaks my heart.

[@joheyjonsson2825]

I just finsihed reading Gatsby, and the one thing that really struck me was Gatsby's profound loneliness. He got fame and money and a following, but only gossipers and curiosity seekers show up for him in the end. It really reminded me of today's search for the 15 Minutes of Fame.

[@05ALMA20]

Since I first read Gatsby, I feel in love with it. The imperfect characters,the love, the raw emotions, the pain,and just everything. Though some complain about the characters not being relatable, the overall themes in this book are timeless, much more than any character could ever be. Gatsby may not be the most heroic person but he sure was great.

[@diagnosed_shitposter]

Legit I watched this just after the crash course episode and the parallels are remarkable xD

[@Conorwalkin]

Well when the same person is discussing the same topic they're obviously going to be very similar

[@Moviesobsessed97]

Okay, I love the Great Gatsby and have read it more than five times so here's what I think: One of my favorite things to discuss about the Great Gatsby is the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy (even though I pretty much hate everything about Daisy). To me it seemed that when they were younger Gatsby and Daisy really did love each other, however as the years passed and they stopped talking to one another everything twisted. Here's what I mean: I'm gonna compare this to John's book Looking for Alaska (please don't hate me), because of the fact that Gatsby went so many years without speaking to Daisy he ended up doing exactly what Pudge did in LFA. Fantasy twisted into reality and he loved the "idea" of being with Daisy. Therefore, when the reality didn't add up with the fantasy, it sort of sent him teetering off the edge, hence when he lost his temper with Tom. With Daisy it's pretty different. While Gatsby hung on to the idea of Daisy being with him, she ended up moving on. So in a way I believe Daisy did love Gatsby at a certain part of her life, however she couldn't deal with him being gone for so long when he went off to war that eventually she did what any person does when they break up with someone...SHE MOVED ON. She couldn't say she didn't love Tom because she did, yes there's probably still is a part of her that loves Gatsby because you never really forget your first love, but unlike Gatsby she was able to move on from her first ever love and learned to love someone else. (mind you it's a selfish kind of love, but still love). Here's something else to recognize: ALL OF THE CHARACTERS ARE SELFISH IN THE BOOK! That was exactly what Fitzgerald was trying to prove. Yes, Gatsby is probably one of the most redeemable characters in the entire book (or Nick depending on your outlook), but essentially all the motives of each character started with something selfish (except maybe Nick, but why did he get involved in the first place?). Gatsby while his motives were romantic and "heroic" in the end if he ended up with Daisy, it would've been for his benefit and that was Fitzgerald's goal. I would also love to say that I love these kinds of videos from John and Hank because as a reader sometimes you wonder if authors like analyzing stories just as much as they love writing them so it makes me really happy to know that authors love analyzing books just as much as their readers do. :)

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

Moviesobsessed97 I don't know if Daisy moved on so much as did what was easy. I don't think she ever really knew what love was, and Gatsby probably didn't either. Hell, I'd argue that Tom and Myrtle have a healthier relationship, and he literally beats her.

[@ianfarrugia4495]

I think Nick must have fell into the activities of Tom and the others out of simple bored. That and I guess some morbid curiosity for the goings on of these peoples' lives.

[@Eruaphadian]

I watched this right after the crash course Gatsby video. you recycled a lot didn't you :)

[@someonemstr1]

Christopher Carpenter Yeah pretty much this entire script was a part of the CC video, it makes me wonder if John knew Crash Course Literature would become a thing when he made this video

[@guitarwally1]

I think not, but after seeing the enthusiasm in this video, I do think it is no coincidence that 'The Great Gatsby' is the very first book they discuss in Crash Course.

[@fatimasalmansiddiqui1182]

Haha same, my thoughts exactly! :D

[@umangmalik]

Listen to the anthropocene reviewed episode on it lol

[@fatimasalmansiddiqui1182]

@@umangmalik there is an episode on Gatsby?

[@katiehusband1505]

I don't think Gatsby's quest is heroic. I admire his determination to achieve his goals but his relentless pursuit of Daisy isn't heroism. It reminds me of a tumblr post 'be successful enough so that your celebrity crush will consider you' or something like that. Daisy has become so distorted in Gatsby's mind that she is little more than an ornament to complete his transformation: otherwise he could have happily run off with daisy without the need to get her to say she never loved Tom. He was not heroic in that quest, though his willingness to take the fall for Daisy in the end could be seen to be. But like most of Gatsby's persona, it's wrapped up in so many layers of frontage it's hard to know what his true intentions are

[@scraffs224]

When you mentioned that what we really want is to go back in time to some place when we felt safe, innocent, naive - this portrays the desires of Gatsby as well as Daisy's wishes for her daughter's destiny (to be a little beautiful fool - in order to feel safe and secure and be ignorant - by lacking intelligence - of the concept of corruption).

[@mackisle809]

Kurt Vonnegut's Rules for Writing #2: Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

[@craigtrautman1690]

I think Nick the narrator serves this role, being the common straight man who is introduced to these people and experiences along with us.

[@lancewang4923]

@@craigtrautman1690 Nick is a bland, thoughtless robot. He's described as honest, but he's just more indecisively, robotically stupid than honest. He hardly participates in the drama. As the middleman, he could have intervened and prevented Gatsby from pushing Daisy too far to admit she "never loved Tom". Nick isn't likeable. He's an invisible character made for the sake of telling the story. He's just pushed around by other characters for the sake of the reader getting introduced to other characters.

[@manekakapoor1612]

Nick Carraway

[@gardenofeden7]

This is exactly like the Crash Course episode

[@hfollman98]

+Dakota Hayes It's like the words are exactly the same! I came here directly from that video (I'm on a Gatsby binge, don't judge :P) and I thought the same thing! :D

[@maireadzielinski8037]

+TheUnfaithfulWanderer Was just about to comment this, its so similar, word for word! I'm also on a Gatsby binge, having an exam on it soon and watching videos is a good way to feel like your revising when your really not doing any hard work😂

[@elisabethsanford9489]

and then gatsby finally got to use his pool. epic.

[@mysignificantotter18]

Gatsby is not so much a hero but a part of us. There is something so relatable about his character. His wants and desires are so very human.

[@j3e125]

In a certain sense, I identify Gatsby as a classical hero. He's an amazing person, someone who came from nothing and became everything. He has money, power, influence, everything material that Americans desire. His weakness is the femme fatale, his sentimentalism and love for Daisy. It's what kills Gatsby, for trying to reach too far and being destroyed. American society is romantic in it's nature. Materialism seems like everything, we need more and more, we have a desire to end at the top. When we reach for something of true meaning, it's perhaps too far or too demanding. We reach for it, ignorant it will ruin, yet we still do. Our ambitions are too great, almost delusional. It's like all the consumerism is the foul dust. Past the materialism, money and all, is meaning, something we despise and are utterly alone in obtaining something that doesn't have a price tag on it.

[@MsBlushing24]

I don't think Gatsby was heroic. He didn't save anyone, anything, or even himself. Out of all the characters, he was the most genuine, but heroic isn't an adjective i'd use to describe Gatsby. He's a dreamer. His goal was to break up a marriage so he could be with Daisy. That's not heroic, but Fitzgerald romanticizes Gatsby's quest in the same way Gatsby romanticizes having Daisy.

[@2pacsbandana70]

MsBlushing24 you ma'am are fucking beautiful 😍💕

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

MsBlushing24 I actually don't think he was romanticizing it. Our author insert Nick clearly disagrees with his plan, asking him whether he thought he could bring back the past. It's clear even that Nick doesn't even like Gatsby all that much, though for whatever reason he continued to help and butt in.

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

MsBlushing24 I actually don't think he was romanticizing it. Our author insert Nick clearly disagrees with his plan, asking him whether he thought he could bring back the past. It's clear even that Nick doesn't even like Gatsby all that much, though for whatever reason he continued to help and butt in.

[@katiehusband1505]

It's really kind of pleasing to watch John's progress with the tfios signing. I mean I know he's already done but it still make me happy

[@ccubed215]

Even watching it backwards haha

[@noodle089]

Alaska Young is the Daisy Buchanan of Looking For Alaska. Minus the lust for material things.

[@kathleenmusiak1369]

YESSSSSSSS so happy someone else thinks this!

[@ninjaesther]

This makes me want to read the Great Gatsby again ahhhhhhhh

[@Forceprincess]

I think that Gatsby is heroic, in the way that heroes and legendary characters of the ancient world were heroic. He isn't heroic for being virtuous, or having pure motives. Quite the opposite. He is a tragic hero who is undone by his shortsightedness. His tunnel vision and his narrowly focused goals were his downfall. He achieved great wealth for all the wrong reasons, even if love was a better reason than simple greed. You could almost say he's like Achilles, only his Achilles heel is irrational fixation on Daisy. He suffered from hubris, and failed in his quest.

[@lucydo28]

I'd like to say thanks for this video on behalf of my English literature class for some great points!

[@claradunn7320]

There is simply no way that Gatsby is anything but heroic. This is because he has the audacity to dream, and even though he has built up this huge façade and is really pretending to be someone else (essentially), he has the audacity to dream and isn't that just the most admirable thing?! Because we are truly vulnerable when we reveal our dreams because they are so intrinsically us. And also, his love for Daisy, although it is admittedly misplaced and exaggerated, still strikes us as incredibly true and unwavering. Despite his flaws he is so himself and so worthy because he does everything in the pursuit of something noble - love, and perhaps, the innocence he has lost for Daisy.

[@craigtrautman1690]

Dreaming is all that we really can do in life that can't be limited by the nature of the world, but what makes it so stark and sobering about Gatsby's tale is how dreams not only truly exist separate from reality but in trying to form reality into a dream, there will always be imperfections with it and just to make anything at all you have to give parts up. Would you trade the image you always imagined for some degree of acceptable satisfaction and substance, or have it all be as you postured with all the things and details but with a hollowed sense. The most fragile and uncertain thing in the book are lives and the dreams that push them, and while we try to work with what we have, guys like Gatsby and Wilson can have all of it break when they're faultless. The book shows us how the real dream shown here, the American Dream, is no different

[@leikaehr6286]

I understand you, but perhaps consider that there is also bravery in accepting the past and what happened in the past cannot always be recreated. And hoping for the best thing for the future is what all of us do, so I do not think that that is what made Gatsby 'heroic.'

[@justina7639]

In my opinion, Gatsby is not a hero, because everything he does is the opposite of heroic. Heroes become heroes by beating their own natural drives, they do what they do in spite of love or fear or the aversion to physical pain. And all that Gatsby does is succumbing to every one of his drives immediately, he is like a child running after the glittery things without ever thinking, persuaded that just because he wants something, he has a right to get it.

[@lancewang4923]

Here's my simple short take. Hero = someone that saves people. Technically, Gatsby saved Daisy by being falsely perceived as Mrs. Wilson's murderer, so that Mr. Wilson killed him for revenge. However, Gatsby isn't a hero for that, because he didn't willingly take the blame. It was Tom that deceived Mr. Wilson. Secondly, Gatsby had it coming since he pushed Daisy too far by forcing her to admit she never loved Tom. Gatsby orchestrated his own death and saved no one, because he was selfish.

[@ianfarrugia4495]

@@lancewang4923 I'd have to disagree with you that a literary hero is someone that saves people

[@EmmaAlicee]

taught me more in 10 minutes than I've ever learnt from my a level teacher this whole year, so yeah thanks john

[@MegaCaitlin]

I'm here because I have my English Literature exam on The Great Gatsby tomorrow. Thanks John for making revision slightly more bearable!

[@grantbuxton2380]

Caitlin Robin how did you go?

[@kaleidoslug7777]

hearing a writer talk about books is one of the best things the Internet has to offer

[@3000dora]

I had a green light I believed in once, but I got over it.

[@crystal2862]

Gatsby was the one and only Gatsbae, a better bae than Tom could ever Gatsby.

[@batblurr13]

nice 😂

[@SamCruzPinay]

"And then Gatsby finally gets to use his pool." A beautiful way to describe it, John. A beautiful, haunting, and sweet way to look at it.

[@janetbtamas]

His quest is heroic in a way that he strives to capture his long-awaited dream! He hopes in an illusion filled future of reaching his green light goal. But even though it is an illusion, he still believes in his hopes and dreams and doesn't give up which is something we all need to introspect on ourselves.

[@Mister.Unknown]

Gatsby is a hero for his own, private, almost delusional cause. He made himself "his hero" or to an extent, Daisy's hero. Exclude Daisy form his train of thought, and everything banishes, nothing left. She is his motivation and final objective, Alpha and Omega in a single woman that is blatantly unaware of the pain that she is causing to almost any man that touches her.

[@emilymcnutt2277]

Please do this with other books!!!

[@lelajoyner9376]

watching you guys have a mini reunion was probably the best thing I've seen in the past month

[@ashleewigness1860]

@vlogbrothers My english literature teacher took you as a credible source in my notes... and I got extra credit for being a nerd fighter who loves Fitzgerald. Woohoo!

[@lizgazzola7425]

On the whole likeable thing, I actually really do love the Great Gatsby but I think it's more that characters who are unlikeable are frequently unrelatable. I could go and explain how humans have this natural tendency to want to view themselves in a black or white good/evil way and how they can't see themselves as the shade of gray that Daisy and Gatsby and Nick are, and really that we all are, but that's complicated so I will say this I think things are easier with a foil ya know? Like in comedy you stick a straight faced normal-ish person in the show to have the same reaction as the audience because just want to project themselves into everything, and Nick is supposed to be written as that boring foil but he isn't really. I mean he is a little annoying and pretentious but seems totally oblivious to the fact that he is in "it" with the rest of the characters. People can't see themselves or more accurately don't want to see themselves as him. I think this is purposeful like Fitzgerald's saying all the readers are Nick's. We are all in it and yet trying to pretend we are above it. We think we are the normal ones, the foils, but we aren't really; we are in the valley of ashes and TJ's owl eyes can see it. Okay that is all.

[@natalienagel6617]

I know this comment is 6 years old but that’s a super interesting insight!

[@Gyrusdorf]

I'm sorry, John, but I need to disagree with you in regards to Daisy. I do not think she is more likable than Tom even if she doesn't come off as obnoxious as he does. Despite Tom's behavior throughout the book, he still displayed a capacity for caring about others, moreso than Daisy anyway. What do I mean by that? Well, for those reading, you might want to stop here if you haven't read the book but... ...for me, it comes down to how Tom and Daisy reacted to the deaths of their respective affairs, Myrtle and Gatsby. When Tom learned what had happened to Myrtle, he CRIED over her demise, showing that his affair was just as much an emotional one as a physical one. With Daisy, we've been lead to think that her story with Gatsby has been purely emotional (at least I don't remember them going to bed. You'll need to forgive me if I've made any errors; it's been years since I've read this book), that he could offer more than that creep, Tom. And yet, after slaughtering Myrtle, not only does she allow Gatsby to take the fall for her without confessing what had really happened, but when Gatsby died she doesn't even give any hint of pain over his passing, this despite the fact that she claimed to love him (at this point, I'm starting to wonder if she ever really knew what love is). For her, life moves on. No remorse. No shame. No pity. No sadness. The same is mostly true with Tom, but at least he had a human relationship of some kind. If he didn't, he wouldn't show sadness either. Tom is a prick, but Daisy is just as bad, if not worse.

[@sarahtohme4041]

100 percent

[@kitten68mew52]

Lord Gyrus That's not necessarily true because Nick was with Tom when he found out that Myrtle had died. Nick had no way of knowing Daisy's reaction to Gatsby's death and also people grieve differently. Daisy could've just been grieving internally.

[@chicox3me]

I know about the peculiarities of book interpretations but there are some that are objectively wrong. This is one of them

[@allyli1718]

Yo Tom also hit Myrtle and verbally abused her. I’d say they’re equally dislikable; though Daisy may just grieve differently.

[@JacobMeza-pro-footballer]

What about when she became an emotional wreck when Gatsby sent her a letter before her marriage and the time she fought to say goodbye to him before he left for the war?

[@susanna9310]

so i am reading this book currently and when john talked about the yellow stuff i am reminded of a part where nick describes the MUSIC coming from the pit orchestra as yellow and wow i never noticed all this stuff!

[@z.peacecraft]

No one can quickly summarize and then critically analyze this great novel in less than 7 minutes but John.

[@kellstar123]

"And then Gatsby finally gets to use his pool." Well that is one way to put it...

[@saf3342]

Studying The Great Gatsby for A level English Literature and this helps so much!!

[@ohwellwhateverr]

Was looking for a good review for this book because I recently got my copy and am about to start reading it and then I came across a vlogbrothers vid with the same review. John and Hank, you really are perfect! Thank you!

[@theelizabethjoy]

In college my lit professor had a mental breakdown and we ended up spending 3/4 of the semester on The Great Gatsby; but we didn't get to have good in depth discussions. With that said the best line I've heard is "And Gatsby finally gets to use his pool."

[@johnobrien5464]

this video would have been very helpful if I had watched it before doing that essay on the Great Gatsby and not like an hour after I have finished it like I am now

[@autumngaribay9377]

Just thinking about Gatsby, what if Owl Eyes is T.J. Eckleburg? We never learn his name, but know he has big eyes and glasses. He was the only other person to show at Gatsby's funeral, despite never being told he died. Just speculation though.

[@Anybol]

Well, they're definitely related. The giant eyes are a symbol for God, or at least some kind of ultimate observer. Since Owl Eyes is defined by his eyes, he is an extension of that symbol. I personally see him as maybe another aspect of the Ultimate Observer. The giant eyes of the billboard and vast and unknowable, and they see Gatsby at the pivotal moment in his life, when he has come as close as he ever will to realizing his dream. Owl Eyes sees Gatsby before and after the dream, at smaller moments, so to speak, and so his eyes are smaller. I dunno if that's right, but it's my two cents.

[@temitopeoketikun1379]

this kinda creeps me out

[@jumbofreakinshrimp]

the great gatsby is one of my favorite books, and this video reminded me of why. you pointed out a few details and some symbolism that i hadn't caught before. one of the best things about that book is how it's not only the literal story that fitzgerald is telling, but also the story of the 1920s and the age of materialism and searching for the american dream.

[@harbingerization]

Thou hast made us for thy glory, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee ~ Augustine

[@JamieRobles1]

Go, John, Go! :D

[@umangmalik]

"and then Gatsby finally gets to use his pool" holy shit dude

[@awrite2dream]

When I first watched this, I hadn't read the novel. Now, I love how you saw "Gatsby finally gets to use his pool" in such a way. It amazes me that I knew so little about the actual content of the novel when so many people talk about its greatness in the world around me. :)

[@raspberryitalia3464]

Honestly one of the best reviews of this book I've ever had the privilege to hear, and that includes all the years of high school spent forced to study it. Bravo on the lack of spoilers too (although the book has been out for 90 years, so..)

[@deathhallow911]

Everything Gatsby did was essentially for daisy. Whether he thought of this as heroic or whether this was just part of gatsbys normal life, we can never really know. I think Daisy made Gatsby blind and deluded or maybe her love and teasing did this too, which doesn't make Gatsby's act heroic in his eyes, but clearly in nicks. Nick fell in love with the idea of Gatsby and how he was so different from Tom and Daisy and to him he truly was a hero. To me? No. I think that what he did may have been heroic from some points of view but he was driven to it by the idea of creating himself again and making Daisy love him and only him.

[@deathhallow911]

+Andrew “Covarr” Covarrubias My whole idea was that Gatsby's actions weren't heroic or romantic in the sense that he loved Daisy and wanted to make her happy, because I am fully aware that Gatsby did everything to have a irretrievable possession over Daisy, like he once did when they were younger. He even says "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!"

[@deathhallow911]

+Andrew “Covarr” Covarrubias I never said that Gatsby loved Daisy. Yes I said everything he did was for her, which was maybe a little inaccurate and ambiguous but he did everything to have her, took the blame for murdering myrtle, so you can't say that wasn't for her. Yes it was more so for him (to keep Daisy from harm so he could have her) but that's they key bit: keeping Daisy from harm.

[@AmritaMohan]

I've watched the movie and have been wanting to read the book ever since, but this just makes me want to read it more. #dreams

[@emmaishere8000]

We share dreams.

[@AmritaMohan]

Wanting to read the book? :)

[@emmaishere8000]

Yup!!

[@AmritaMohan]

:D

[@emmaishere8000]

:')

[@feashyfish]

I know it’s 7 years after this video was made, but now I’ve read The Great Gatsby and I like having a better understanding of the book from the point of view of John Green. Thank you for an interesting video about a book I read for school because school definitely makes it seem a lot more boring (maybe because there are no jump cuts)

[@Iluvu098]

I love how passionate you two are.

[@georgiasmith382]

I love The Great Gatsby too and I've watched all your videos on it, including Crash Course. I know you don't like to discuss the author's purpose, but don't you think the connection between Daisy and Zelda Fitzgerald merits a mention? I would love to hear more about your take on women during the 1920s and how Daisy compares to reality.

[@jessicabaum9370]

Personally I think in most discussions about the Great Gatsby people are too loose with the term "love". Actual real love is not present anywhere. Love has two components to it: it is have strong/intense romantic feelings for another person coupled with genuinely valuing the other person's happiness above your own. The second aspect tends to get neglected not just in discussions about The Great Gatsby but in most discussions and representations of love (The only place I personally have ever see this aspect of love addressed is in the first Futurama movie, Bender's Big Score). Gatsby's feelings for Daisy may be strong but the fact that it isn't enough for him to get Daisy back alone is more than enough proof that he does not truly love her. Having her love him shouldn't just be enough it should be more than enough. If she had been happy with Tom, which she wasn't but if she was, that alone should have been enough.

[@fugelove32]

Goosbumps. Love you John!

[@HPPirates]

Omg please make more of these! I just finished this book and I absolutely loved it. I have no idea why I never read it sooner.

[@scooterbriody2252]

I think Jordan is pretty likable...

[@hfollman98]

+Sofia Briody Jordan's surface glamour serves to hide an inner emptiness; her character served as a representation of the hollowness of the upper class.

[@hfollman98]

+TheUnfaithfulWanderer In other words, you probably thought of Jordan as likeable because all the other characters were presented as unlikeable and in comparison Jordan was likeable, even though she was kind of just a neutral character representative of the upper class vapidness.

[@PinkandNamii]

Oddly, she’s my favorite character.

[@jiangciyang3860]

@@hfollman98 i like jordan for all her dishonesties, nick also admires jordan it's because she was one of the rare women who don't need to rely on men to live, that was a great feat in the 1920s

[@noodle089]

I feel like it's sacrilegious for me to say this but, I really didn't like The Great Gatsby at all. I was excited to read it and then once I started it was torture. Took me forever to finish it because I couldn't stand more than 5 pages at a time. The best part was the end (not because it was the end) but because of the "twist" that was in it. But I feel like Fitzgerald ended the book perfectly. It was a realistic ending in terms of how the characters go about their lives once it's over.

[@moviemadness2009]

I would agree with your arguments. I read it in school, but it was so over my head it really made no sense to me. But now that I understand it, I think it should be studied from s sociological standpoint, because these characters and their interactions are interesting.

[@BrentWigginsWords]

I can accept your disposition but when you look at it, isn't that novel a reflection of what were living today? A sad indicator from the voices of literature.

[@moviemadness2009]

I suppose it is in some regards. There goes society... Womp.

[@BrentWigginsWords]

It's a notice; wake up America! You're rotting from the core, slowly but surely.

[@jadelammusic]

Dear John Green, just to say that I'm studying The Great Gatsby for my English Lit GCSEs (public exams in the UK), and your little analysis really helped me get the bigger picture! Thank you very much indeed- your passion for literature really resounds in this great video :)

[@Felsenkeks]

John Green, I love you for making this video. I just finished the novel and I have so many feels about it; and this video was the perfect vent for them. Thank you

[@easte36]

Gatsby's quest is so remarkably unheroic it's almost nauseating. He is frankly stupid for being so short sighted and he's basically wearing blinders throughout the whole book. I'm not denying that Gatsby was enterprising and perhaps even brave but we should never confuse bravery with heroism because heroism constitutes someone being saved and Gatsby couldn't even save himself.

[@davidsconnelly2613]

Gatsby saved Nick from disillusionment.

[@beckroberts4537]

Gatsby's quest is both heroic and not heroic. The idea of working your way to a fortune, creating your own identity, and becoming a local legend is one that many people are quite fond of. Gatsby's determination is admirable, and his thirst for more is not a bad thing. It can be seen in a bad light because it becomes obvious with Daisy, but his desire for more can be seen in the party scenes and particularly in the tour of Gatsby's house. His desire to make something of himself is a desire that everyone holds in some way. However, what is Gatsby working for? For what admirable cause did he waste five years of his life? He worked five years for a girl who he may or may not have loved. This girl forgot him when a more suitable option came along. I have severe doubts that Daisy loved Gatsby at all. While Gatsby's quest can appear both heroic and not heroic, it is far more interesting to think about everyone's reaction to Gatsby's quest. Gatsby is a set of pretty clothes that everyone loves, but when a set of clothes goes out to conquer a dream, people are confused. Is my quest heroic? If you glamorize hard work, I suppose it is. Having ambition and achieving goals is over-rated.

[@RayaLW]

I am reading this book a second time for a school assignment (it's just as fantastic as the first time around), and I'm pretty sure this video is going to help me impress my teacher a lot. Thanks, John, for making me notice incredibly awesome things in this book that otherwise would have gone over my head.

[@MadsLovesMusic]

I've cited this video in three different school projects this year (english paper on Gatsby, History paper on 1920s, multimedia presentation on KZbin) and done well on every single one of them because of all i've learned from it...thank you, John Green, for teaching me more than my AP teachers :)

[@Amita23]

John, I loved the insights on this, however I always play devil's advocate when it comes to character analysa, analysises, analyses, [ idk the plural so someone help:) ]. We read Medea the play by Socrates I believe and I vouched for Medea. We read The Crucible by Arthur Miller and I vouched for Abigail. Now in the Great Gatsby, I am vouching for Tom Buchanan. So this wasn't very helpful for me, but was for the rest of my class with whom I had shared this video with. Anyways, my points on Tom Buchanan being the"good guy" are that he is totally in love with Daisy. He does go off and have affairs, but they've stuck with each other throughout each others affairs. They've moved around TOGETHER to be free of affairs and let other people clean up their mess. Rich people don't understand the word "consequences"; therefore, they do whatever and whoever (whomever? I never really learned this) they want. He also never planned on leaving Daisy and vice versa. He told Myrtle that Daisy was Catholic because he didn't want to leave Daisy for Myrtle. Guys are usually really stupid, so they go do whatever they want praying that the girl they love sticks with them. However, that may be biased based on previous relationships and the fact that I am a girl.

[@christopherjc54]

#NOPE :P Wonderful...

[@Amita23]

This is my best friend. So that's what the "#NOPE" was about

[@demerzel3798]

Kathryn Clark I understand how you can vouch for Medea but Abigail is basically hellspawn.

[@Amita23]

Jackson Yeager Well, I'm responding straight from memory. I had said that she had a bad childhood. She was basically abandoned by her parents, and she had an adult lover. She needed parental care and nurturing, but she didn't get it. She was also trying to protect herself because she's stuck in the "ID" stage. The "ID" stage is when the child wants immediate gratification, can't determine right from wrong, and do everything they can to make sure they don't get in trouble. She was a troubled child so it wasn't entirely her fault that had her cause the deaths of many people.

[@violinpiano444]

Kathryn Clark Playing more devil's advocate, I honestly don't believe Tom is capable of love. In my eyes, he views Daisy as a prize, a possession, and that's what motivates his "feelings" in the hotel room with Gatsby during that argument scene.. He realizes how much competition he has with Gatsby and thus feels this need to out-shine Gatsby (I feel as though this occurs throughout the book many times). Also, I don't think Tom doesn't want to leave Daisy for Myrtle because of his profound love for Daisy. I honestly just believe he won't leave Daisy because she's made of money... a rich man must have a rich wife in his eyes. Myrtle isn't made of money- at least she's married to a man who lives in the Valley of Ashes.. The ash in which can symbolize how the rich dumps on the poor.. leaves them the grayness, the aftermath of a great fire, etc.. I honestly feel that Tom and Daisy for selfish people and justify their actions through their wealth and the poor have to pay for it. However, I see your point I just felt the need to say my argument for Fitzgerald's sake :)

[@rbcoolie]

Gatsby's quest was definitely heroic. It was a classic quest for love, to save the woman he loved from the clutches of another who has taken her from him against his will. He worked hard, had experiences and set out on this journey and reached his goal, but being a hero, he died a hero's death. On the cusp of his dreams, before it all crumbled from him no longer reaching for it but finally grabbing it and having nothing else to look forward to. He died happy and succeeded in his quest for love.

[@sophiesayswatcha]

John green you amaze me, you just covered like half the book in four minutes and I got more from that than 4 months of being taught about this book at school. Thank you :)

[@MsWhat222]

Dear John, Thank you so much for helping me write a paper for my Language arts class.

[@PoeticPoppa]

The Great Gatsby is my favorite novel. Though Gatsby is the titular character I don't see him as a hero or even an anti-hero. He's a subject, Nick is the narrator and Gatsby is the subject of his documentary.

[@summersunshine101545]

John Green, you have yet again proved how brilliant and amazing you are to me because FINALLY I understand Gatsby's love for Daisy and the fuel for this novel, I sort of did before but now I definitely do, thanks to you :)

[@MarlyMarly69]

You have explained this wonderful novel FAR better than my AP English teacher ever could have. Beauty.

[@shalomitsme]

This video was so helpful to my understanding of "Gatsby". Thanks, John Green!

[@MeganImel]

Hearing you talk makes me feel motivated, even if I have no idea what you're talking about.

[@beatmodnrocker]

One of my fave books (along with 'Catcher...) and you make me even more excited and in love with it, thanks John! Re: Jay and Daisy... his infatuation has turned to idealization, one of the dangerous things about falling for someone and then being seperat ed from them - you inflate all their good points to the sky and forget all their less than good points. That she is wealth helps, as Gatsby, like most (all!!!) of us, he equates wealth with happiness. Cue: Rolling Stones 'Can't Always Get...'

[@SpaceSamuraiKelsey]

You explained the book better to me than any of my English teachers ever could. Thank you, John Green! It makes so much sense now.

[@leprechaungiant1]

So i have waited to watch this video until just now, because I wanted to read The Great Gatsby first. And i'm glad I did. John please do these more often! ~Michael

[@Aimeeee]

We're studying The Great Gatsby. I came back to this video. Thank you John for being more knowledgeable than my teacher.

[@rainsurfer03]

You are my hero! Every video that you and Hank create reminds me of this, you two are heros of mine :)

[@GaaradancepartyX]

This is an interesting video to watch after watching the crash course episodes on the same subject. Many points being brought up again.

[@Zinkromo]

The thing I love about John Green is that not only is he entertaining, but I can also quote and cite him as a source in my essay. So thank you for being awesome Mr. Green.

[@Loughyhy6n07]

We've just spent several months learning about Gatsby for our GCSE's next year, so as much as I appreciate these videos, in order to save myself from not just hating both F Scott Fitzgerald and my english teacher, but also eventually John, I think I'll save watching them for revision before the exams. Seriously, the book is amazing, but if I hear the name Gatsby one more time in the next 3 months I'll scream...

[@Waywoah]

Listening to The Mountain Goats watching Vlogbrothers videos. THIS is an introverts perfect world.

[@emilylime88]

Thanks John for making me look up and understand the word Conflate once and for all.

[@superspy0929]

Dear John, Thank you for writing my book report.

[@elisecode9657]

That was very insightful. I just finished the book a few minutes ago. I think I'm the only one but Jordan might be my favourite character. Well, maybe after Nick.

[@TheBlindAssassin93]

My favorite novel. You just reenergized it for me with the beauty of it. Also, I own a Great Gatsby sweatshirt. SO WONDERFUL

[@sheaelliott942]

Listening to this again reminds me of how much I loved this novel, I definitely plan on rereading it sometime in the future :) "And then Gatsby gets to use his pool." Is literally oh my gosh John so perfect of a description of the final chapter :/

[@wackity.7879]

+Shea Elliott it isn't in the final chapter. That's what's sad about it. The final chapter is about what happens after the pool (I don't want to spoil it ugh) and how nick and the reader realise how tragic Gatsby's life really is ,while the idle rich get away back to living their carefree existences.

[@sheaelliott942]

Izzy Oh that's right! Wow just shows that I need to read it again! But last few chapters :/ Oh my gosh that book is just so great. Thanks for correcting me! It hasn't even been that long, but it was my first read so I'll remember that now. But it's so sad oh my gosh... :'(

[@wackity.7879]

Shea Elliott Sad but kind of expected you know? The signs were there from the beginning- Wilson in the ash heaps (I think he's referred to something ash related himself at one point) and the 'foul dust floating in the wake of his [Gatsby's] dream'. Also Jordan Baker's (who's name is two cars put together- cars play a significant part in the story's events, again no spoilers) bit about 'careless drivers' to Nick seems to reflect very well upon that first of the dreary scenes in the final stages of the novel.

[@Arnumdrusk]

Loved the video John! I sent it to my High School English teacher, whom I'm friends with, to watch. The Great Gatsby is part of the English curriculum naturally :) She liked your video so much she said she was going to show it to her classes; I think that's pretty awesome :D

[@jaffajaf]

I have been waiting waiting waiting for this video... so worth it. I loved this book beyond belief. I loved how a book so set in its time so captured our time with its instant celebrities that are famous for nothing but being famous and the huge amount of longing that is in so many people to have a piece of that something that's really nothing (a green light across the bay perhaps?) It was so much about struggling so hard to gain something that you simply can't have.

[@sluggmom]

i loved this book. i love how when i was done i was sad for the characters and gatsby, and that it felt like something was missing. like the book will forever be unfinished, while at the same time being completely whole.

[@LilyBrunner]

I just finished this for school and I loved it, but homestly, I think you helped to explain it better. What you said about Gatsby finally using his pool... Oh my God. And the last chapter pretty much made me upset for two full days. It was so sad!!

[@bovinetheterrible]

As an English teacher, I can say without hyperbole that this is the greatest video ever made by anyone ever.

[@kizzy75]

I just eat that all up like it was candy. Thank you! You are so insightful. I have to write reading logs on this novel. It's crazy the amount of hidden meaning it has. You explain it in a way that would make even an uninterested student WANT to know more. I'm telling you John, you have GOT to be an English teacher. I'd love English even more if you taught me this novel! You were born to teach. :)

[@Niamhaliciouso]

I have no ideas for my Gatsby essay. So I search 'Great Gatsby Analysis' in KZbin. THEN I FIND JOHN TALKING ABOUT IT AND SAYING SO MANY THINGS AND EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE!

[@mdorfani]

I shall keep this in mind when we read it in English this year!:) Thanks for being awesome John!

[@megansmead]

So I didn't really enjoy reading The Great Gatsby, but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing John's analysis of it