Mundane conversations and extravagant locations compose the entirety of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, The Great Gatsby. I’m going to tell you right out of the gate that this book did not meet my expectations nor the praise that it consistently gets. If sentence structure interests you, the writing and tone of the novel are incredibly well done. However, the plot and characters are immensely underdeveloped to a point where it seems like you’re watching a drama filmed in someone’s backyard. The main protagonist Nick Carraway acts as a third or fifth wheel that is simply there to stand around and watch the gossip and drama unfold. Similarly, Jay Gatsby (who the book is named after) only gains a presence at about the halfway point. Don’t get me wrong, The Great Gatsby is a classic novel for a reason, and it does some amazing moments, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Nick Carraway moves into a house that stands next to Jay Gatsby’s infamous mansion. An invitation to his neighbour’s mansion reveals a world that contains an overwhelming amount of gossip, glitz, and glamour. Anyone who is familiar with Gatsby’s parties or has heard of the man himself, continuously discuss his mysterious past. Nick slowly uncovers more about Gatsby’s history, but we are never given a complete and comprehensive picture. Nick moves through the book like a leaf in a river, meaning that he is a nearly invisible character whose purpose is to make the other characters and the storyline stand out more. Despite the title, Gatsby isn’t introduced until far into the novel. This heavily solidifies the secrets around what makes Gatsby so great and how he climbed to such a high social position out of nothing. Since Nick is the audience’s eyes to all the gossip and events that unfold, he becomes a victim of unnecessary drama between every other secondary character. Although Gatsby plays a large part in the plot, many of the other characters such as Tom Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Daisy Buchanan fill up most of the pages. The majority of the book is filled with dialogue between people who have too much time on their hands and not enough hobbies (I honestly suspect that none of them have day jobs). Despite the mundane aspects written into the storyline, it remains a classic that depicts issues about marriage, friends, and how secrets can kill.
Nick’s detached reactions after being pulled into a marital dispute are a perfect parallel to my reception of the book. There was a huge lack of character development that comes from having too many characters greedy for the spotlight at the same time. I didn’t find myself rooting for any of the characters, and it didn’t come as a shock when something life-changing happened to one of them. I rarely find a book, especially one as well known as this, that I have a negative opinion about and for those who love this book, I apologize for my unorthodox opinion about it, and again it does have its good moments. I simply wanted to share a different interpretation about the novel to remove any preconceived notions that people may have about it if they are going into it without any context except for Leonardo DiCaprio (since he starred as Gatsby in the film, which I still haven’t had the chance to watch yet).
Gatsby’s parties stand out above what other novels try to depict because Gatsby has no limitations and doesn’t hold back financially. There may not be a particular dance floor, but the live orchestra music and the formal wear emphasize the classy aspect of the era. Obviously champagne would be the best fit for such an expensive event, but the black tea Glitter and Gold comes as a close second. True to its name, this tea contains gold star-shaped sprinkles that add a tiny bit of shimmer to your tea. The tea won’t taste fancy, but the feature perfectly parallels with Gatsby’s view (and ignorance) to his parties. The mansion represents a haven for the upper class who act as nobles, but to Gatsby, it’s simply another day. Compared to the lemon peel and clove infusions, a hint of vanilla resides in the aura of the tea. The taste is slightly different because the sugar sprinkles accentuate the black tea leaves while a hint of spice lingers in the aftertaste. It would be interesting to add a hint of orange flavouring or perhaps an orange slice into the tea just to exaggerate the spice. If you are a fan of chai, I’d recommend making this tea as a hot latte because more spice comes through with the help of warmed milk. Also, despite the sugar sprinkles it doesn’t hurt to add a little more sugar because many of the flavours remain at the end of a sip (and you don’t want it to be too bitter at the beginning). Perhaps use Glitter and Gold to have a party with just you and Fitzgerald’s novel! After all, who says you need to be as rich as Gatsby to have an amazing time!
Tea Literature 