I agree that we should read The Great Gatsby as adults. I also believe it's perfect for high school. I don't, however, agree with the way it's taught most of the time.
I hate that it's taught as THE novel about the corrupt American Dream. I hate that the lessons usually come with color imagery graphs. I hate that most teachers don't explore the humor, because it is absolutely there.
When a teacher can guide students through the social expectations of the characters, students actually start to see very high school-ish behavior. They start to relate. Tom is the popular jock. Jay is the new guy disrupter. Nick is a wanna be. He's the good kid trying to remain good but also wanting to be cool, but he can't bring himself to really sink that low (simultaneously in and out). Daisy is the "it" girl. Jordan is the best friend who is both in awe of and sick of Daisy.
Teaching the novel in a more "teenage" way introduces them to a phenomenal book that they might just pick up again as adults.
That’s a good take on the book. I’ll read it again! I’m almost 70 and have been through a lot since I was 15. 😶
TGG is taught in high school because it’s an excellent example of symbolism and metaphor in fiction writing (I remember the eye in the optometrist’s sign!), the use of themes, and so on. Structure. FSF was good at building the armature of a story. I was thinking about what classroom discussions might look like today, so I poked around and found this:
I agree that we should read The Great Gatsby as adults. I also believe it's perfect for high school. I don't, however, agree with the way it's taught most of the time.
I hate that it's taught as THE novel about the corrupt American Dream. I hate that the lessons usually come with color imagery graphs. I hate that most teachers don't explore the humor, because it is absolutely there.
When a teacher can guide students through the social expectations of the characters, students actually start to see very high school-ish behavior. They start to relate. Tom is the popular jock. Jay is the new guy disrupter. Nick is a wanna be. He's the good kid trying to remain good but also wanting to be cool, but he can't bring himself to really sink that low (simultaneously in and out). Daisy is the "it" girl. Jordan is the best friend who is both in awe of and sick of Daisy.
Teaching the novel in a more "teenage" way introduces them to a phenomenal book that they might just pick up again as adults.
LOVE this perspective! Thank you for sharing it.
That’s a good take on the book. I’ll read it again! I’m almost 70 and have been through a lot since I was 15. 😶
TGG is taught in high school because it’s an excellent example of symbolism and metaphor in fiction writing (I remember the eye in the optometrist’s sign!), the use of themes, and so on. Structure. FSF was good at building the armature of a story. I was thinking about what classroom discussions might look like today, so I poked around and found this:
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/09/nx-s1-5296888/teaching-gatsby-at-100
Now I’m curious to see how this book holds up, 100 years after publication.
Please report back!