The Great Gatsby

Ok, so I just finished up "The Great Gatsby" about ten minutes ago and now that it's done I'm glad to have read it. First off, I think that it was a great story and was very well written and told. However, there were some questions that I had in mind that I felt were left unanswered. Most importantly, the title. What was it about Jay Gatsby that made him so great? I dont think there were any specific actions or accomplishments that rewarded him with the title of "great". The only explanation that I could come up with was that he was considered great through the perspectives of those around him. Nick for example, has kind of an up and down relationship with him throughout the book, where he seems to admire him and look up to him. As the story progresses towards the end, Nick sort of turns away from him yet still shows his admiration and respect towards him. Nick realizes that Jay has a good life even though he doesn't always agree with some of his actions. Another thing that I have noticed after completing this book was the importance of the time period that Fitzgerald uses in his story. In today's economy, no one can just get all that money so easily just through inheriting it without anyone knowing, so the lack of intelligence to those present in the story is crucial to the development of the plot. Back in the 1920s the technology was far less advanced and if this story were to exist in the 2000s, it probably would hav taken many other twists and turns until it became a completely different story. The last thing that stuck out to me was how Fitzgerald used different crimes to express the consequences of living life without morals or laws. He shows all kinds of drinking and gambling in all of the luxurious parties that Gatsby threw and in his relationships with the bookies. The death of Myrtle also shows some murder and killing. All in all, I think Fitzgerald combined all of these elements and created a phenominal story that was a pleasure to read for me and hopefully for my classmates as well.