Getting To Know Gatsby

*This post is going to be part of a series of blog posts highlighting books I have read, in which I discuss my likes, dislikes, and feelings about a novel. If you have any book suggestions, please leave them in the comments below!*

Lately, I have been learning a lot about the Roaring Twenties, but in reality, it wasn't as glamorous as I thought it would be. While, yes, there was the absolutely gorgeous change in women's fashion, and amazing music, the Guilded Age wasn't all we've made it seem. War and the Influenza had recently ravished the country, the women's movement was going downhill (although we had secured the right to vote), and despite our government's greatest attempts to ban alcoholism, people were becoming drunker than ever. The parties got bigger as the nation's need for morals got smaller. Or, so they thought.

The thing is, even in the 1920's there were repercussions for bad behavior.

Thus enters my new favorite book, The Great Gatsby. A quick summary of this novel (as found on the ever trusty Cliffs Notes website):

"F Scott Fitzgerald's novel,The Great Gatsby, follows Jay Gatsby, a man who orders his life around one desire: to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost five years earlier. Gatsby's quest leads him from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually to death."

Pretty dramatic, right! What the summary doesn't tell you is that Daisy is married to a man named Tom, who is having an affair with a woman named Myrtle, who is also married. Kinda confusing...

Gatsby, a self made millionaire, lives in the ever prestigious West Egg, in a house that could rival the Queen's palace. Almost every week, Gatsby holds very large, and VERY expensive parties, which include plenty of alcohol, and people from all walks of life. This, of coarse, is all done to attract the attention of Daisy Buchanan, a rich,married (emphasis on the married part of that sentence), and very beautiful woman who lives on the opposite side of a the river in East Egg. Sometimes Gatsby even longingly stares at her green dock light across the water, in hopes that he will someday be able to rekindle the romance that started five years ago, before Daisy got married to Tom. Through the help of a cousin, named Nick Carraway (who is also the narrator of this tragedy) Daisy reconnects with James Gatsby, and a secret love affair ensues.

At first, you would think that the affair is somewhat justified, I mean, Tom Buchanan has never been good to Daisy right? Gatsby is the one she needs!

Wrong. Daisy needs a lesson on making good choices, and apparently everyone else in the novel does too.

This lesson, comes by way of murder. The murder of Gatsby, to be precise. Without giving any spoilers, lets just say that they all get what God intended for them.

So what did I like about The Great Gatsby? Well, pretty much everything. The writing style that Fitzgerald uses is filled with poetic metaphors, and symbolism, but not to the point where it is overbearing. And the lessons learned, oh my goodness I could go on for hours. I mean, really, it got to the point where I had to set the book down, and remind myself that the people living within these pages were indeed just fictional characters, not people I could reprimand. Within the sin, you see the repercussions to each character's mistakes. Gatsby is killed, Daisy stays in an unhappy marriage, Tom remains guilty of the death of a woman, and Nick has some psychiatric problems, including the inability to fully love someone. Basically, their lives become a mess, all because of some lust and greed.

So what do you think? Will you give Gatsby a try?

My Anxiety (Part Two)

It only got worse from there.

Panic attacks soon became a frequent thing, and before I knew it I began to get them over the stupidest things. In fact, I once had a panic attack about getting in the shower. It was that bad.

Thankfully, my mom and dad realized that I was in need of some serious help. So, I went to counseling! When I was younger, I probably would be ashamed to admit something like this. I mean, letting people know that I needed some help figuring out how to work with my beautiful brain sounded preposterous. But now, I realize how much I should be talking about it.

I think most people are afraid to get  mental help because they believe that only the broken things need fixing. Honestly, I thought that too, until I actually did it. Therapy and counseling are a great way to learn the best strategies for working with your disorder, and above all, it gives you someone to talk to about your problems (without that awful "oh my gosh they are probably sick of hearing about this" feeling.) You should never be ashamed to get some assistance. I mean, think of it this way: a cancer patient receives chemotherapy, because in order to fight off their disease, they have to get it. The same principle applies to taking the initiative, and going to counseling.

The severity of my anxiety fluctuates with time, and while I still battle it every day, it has become something that I can manage. I pray that by telling my story, I was able to "normalize" something that can be so foreign, and give hope to those who are struggling with the same things.

Because, there is always hope. No matter how scary the world seems to be.

Happy Valentines Day, my beautiful friends! Take some time today to write down a list of all the things make you happy (like I did here), and spread the love by sharing some of my posts!

Love, Sadie