It’s That Deep

Some might say that “the Great Gatsby sucks,” and that “it’s not that deep, it's just some rich guys stealing each other's wives.” While the latter might be 100% true, it’s important to realize that the deeper meaning represents so much more than what’s on the surface (in fact, what’s on the surface can be juicy too, according to the absolute rollercoaster that was chapter seven).  

Moses and the Golden Calf

    To allude to the Bible and make the metaphor with Gatsby as “the son of God” (p.98), this perfect person who sacrifices himself for people’s sins, and his father, a farmer, is very ironic because Gatsby doesn’t follow what his father says the way Jesus did. In fact, he does the complete opposite and breaks practically all 10 commandments (way to go, Jay).
    Nick, our oh-so-untrustworthy narrator, has been describing Gatsby in some of the most admirable ways possible. But to compare him to Jesus Christ feels sacrilegious, with Gatsby, this deceitful man, as the golden idol for Nick. This reminded me of a Bible story of the Old Testament, of Moses and the Golden Calf. In this story, the newly freed Jews begin to worship golden idols instead of their God who just delivered them from slavery, and Moses destroys the golden calf the people were worshipping. He did this because these people were worshipping material goods instead of their Savior. The way Gatsby is shown throughout the book worshipping money even though his wants will never be satiated is exactly what Jesus told Moses to stop, and this draws the irony of the comparison of Gatsby to Jesus even more. And for Nick to admire this is the cherry on top. 

Alexander the Great

Even the title reveals the ridiculous comparisons Nick makes for Gatsby. In the title of the book, “The Great Gatsby,” Gatsby is described as “great” not only in the “awesome” sense but also to mimic how ancient Greeks would describe influential people as “great,” such as “Alexander the Great.” Now while Alexander had been one of the greatest military strategists in history, Gatsby is one of the thousands of American citizens that became rich in the 1920s. While his journey there is quite interesting, as shown in chapter six, it is nothing compared to what the title demands. This further proves the delusional lens Nick is staring at Gatsby with, and how this can further affect the book’s interpretations. 

Another Biblical reference I noticed in the book was the Agony in the Garden and Veronica offering her handkerchief for Jesus to cry into when being crucified. In chapter six, Fitzgerald describes how “the moon soaked with wet light his tangled clothes on the floor” (99) to describe Gatsby’s past. This loneliness and despair reminded me of Agony in the Garden and how Jesus was crying alone before his crucifixion. Both have their endings painted out painfully in front of them, both seemingly unavoidable, however, they both manage to get through and thrive after. 

Veronica Wiping Jesus's Face

    In chapter five, in parallel structure, Daisy begins sobbing into Gatsby’s shirts and explaining how she’s “never seen such— such beautiful shirts” (92). Daisy is crying because she now realizes she can’t have what she used to want, which is Gatsby. When Veronica dries Jesus’s face, she cries because she can’t save someone so dear to her. In the end, however, both find ways to get them back. Daisy cheats on her husband, while Veronica has the more convenient route of Jesus resurrecting. Nevertheless, the comparison of Gatsby to Jesus introducing these other comparisons to the Bible really shocked me, and I really liked making these comparisons.