Introduction
The Great Gatsby has been called a timeless novel because it draws attention to the problematic aspects of the American dream as a concept of unfathomable, gratuitous happiness. From this perception, the novel has been analyzed for greatness multiple times, and Sven Birkerts reveals it through his approach. He explores how time and reflection are woven together in the image of Gatsby as a symbol of dreams and expectations. Birkerts identifies expectations as the essential criterion for the novel’s timelessness and three main qualities of greatness. Birkerts establishes the power of expectation, the process of renewal and redefinition, and the effect of romanticization.
Analysis
Among the many themes that Fitzgerald raises in The Great Gatsby, a different theme is dreams, their emergence, and their realization. Sven Birkerts notes precisely the revelation of the problems of any person’s dreams, which may not always be achievable. Birkerts sees the novel’s genius and greatness in its reflection of the power of expectations and desires displayed by Gatsby.
His most important observation is that “the novel argues itself, and does so just as we in our souls” (Birkerts 124). The novel’s greatness lies in its reality, which is related to human aspirations. Birkerts describes Gatsby as “embodying our essential dreams and conflicts” (Birkerts 122).
By living out the achievement first of one goal, then another, then another, one seeks to realize one’s desires by immersing oneself in the lyrical component of one’s soul. Birkerts concludes that no matter what time one dreams and strives to comprehend the dream, the experience is always unique. The timelessness of the novel, its genius, and its excitement lie in the idea of the dream as part of the ordinary, which is the strength of Birkerts’ argument.
Another important aspect of the greatness and timelessness of the novel is the focus on the characters’ reflection and their ability to discover themselves. Birkerts calls this ability “renewability,” the ability to reach a turning point in personal formation when it is necessary to look back on the journey that has been made (Birkerts 125). Gatsby reveals itself as a reflexive or confessional novel because it covers the curtain on personal unconsciousness as part of the reconciliation between expectations and actual events. Rethinking to see oneself from different angles is the leading quality, reflecting the timelessness of the novel.
Birkerts asserts that “we are stirred at the deepest level,” while another experiences the fall of an erected paradise (Birkerts 126). Birkerts is sure there will always be time to discover the final encounter with the soul. The ability to imagine the magnitude of one’s possibilities and the need to look at life from a different angle is Birkerts’ strongest argument for the novel’s greatness.
Romanticizing reality and lyricizing the soul are never sins, but they can seriously stop understanding how expectations and possibilities function. Birkerts assures us that the task of any individual in pursuing his dreams and ideals is to recognize the warning of fate, which points out the dangers of the chosen path (Birkerts 126). It should be noted that Birkerts is sharp with the notion of excess: he does not diminish its importance but instead gives honor to such a quality of the soul.
The novel demonstrates a romanticized reality that crashes against its weakness of character and inability to cope with the burden of responsibility. Whatever one’s aspirations, Birkerts believes that “the mystery of this corrupt but also pathetic and forgivable man is seen as an attribute of something else” (Birkerts 126). He asks us to remember the lesson of Gatsby’s awareness of his weakness before the lyricism of fate and his acceptance of the collective experience as part of his personal experience. Timelessness for Birkerts revealed itself in notions of excessive souls, rising expectations, and greatness in need of balance.
Conclusion
Thus, Birkerts is convinced of the genius, greatness, and timelessness of the novel The Great Gatsby. First, the criterion of timelessness becomes the power of expectations and desires, which are revealed as part of the individual’s ordinary form and acceptance of reality. Second, timelessness is inextricably linked to the relevance of reflexivity and renewability as a property of the individual to confess to himself. Finally, the excessiveness and romanticism of the soul to which the novel draws attention is an idea of how to experience the soul’s conflict. Sven Birkerts concludes that the novel is a warning to be able to deal with dreams and look at the world soberly.
Work Cited
Birkerts, Sven. “A Gatsby for Today: An Enduringly Relevant Novel of Acrid Disillusion and Resurgent Hope”. The Atlantics, no. 271.3, 1993, pp. 122-126.