Is Gatsby Worthy of Being the Great American Novel?

A common appraisal of The Great Gatsby is that it is "the greatest American novel ever written". Does this book really deserve that distinction?

The short answer, as I always say, is yes. This book is the Great American Novel not necessarily because of how well it is written, or the characters (after all, every character is pretty unlikeable). It is the Great American Novel due to the fact that the book itself represents America, and the flaws that plague its delusional image of grandeur. The very story of Gatsby is something that so many Americans are familiar with, and so I feel that in many ways it is an utterly timeless story that is poignant and relatable. It's great because of its message, not the technical details of the novel.

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Hieronymus Bosch, Saint Christopher, and the Renaissance

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Adventures at Post Oak High

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