Hot take: My friend in the Denver book club argued that 'The Great Gatsby' is a shallow story about rich people.

Mary Reed · 2026-04-02T18:25:06.584481+00:00

She said it over coffee after our meeting, claiming the characters lack real depth beyond their wealth. Has anyone else had to defend a classic book's themes from a hot take like that?

aaronlee5mo ago

Totally get where your friend is coming from, the surface level is all parties and money. But that's the whole point, the emptiness IS the theme. You have to look past the shiny stuff to see they're all chasing something that doesn't exist. Gatsby's entire life is a sad show for one person who never really cared. The wealth is just the trap they're all stuck in, it's a story about the American dream being a total lie. Calling it shallow misses the massive sadness under every single scene.

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park.tara3mo ago

Rich people drama is still drama, just with better scenery.

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holly_brown5mo ago

Yeah, the "emptiness is the theme" part is exactly right. I just ask people what they think all that shiny stuff is covering up. Usually they get it once they have to say the quiet part out loud.

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