Gatsby, what's so great about it?

Ok, Ok, I know there are some Gatsby Fans out there. I even work with one diehard fan of the Nineteen-twenties set story. Personaly, I've never seen much in the story-line. Fitzgerald is telling us a tragic love story in a round-about way. I mean, is this story about a tragic lost love or the lost chance at love, or is it about American Greed and self-indulgence? I just don't get it.

Daisy seems fairly intelligent. She is not completely clueless to her husband's affairs and yet she just blissfully accepts her marital problems as part of the lifestyle she is expected to live. Most importantly, she refuses to allow even the hint of scandal to be associated with her name. Is she in love with Gatsby or is she just in love with the fact that he appears to be insanely wealthy? I can't stand Daisy. She is so shallow it's like looking at the bottom of a pond through the emptiness of a soul. She doesn't take responsibility for her own actions, not even in the death she causes. It's always someone else's fault, always someone else's problem, always someone else's responsibility.

Perhaps I am just over-sensitive to the fate of women in literature. Daisy seems to think her own life is just horrible and hard. And yes, she is in an abusive marriage, but she had the chance to leave her husband, but she didn't. She is raising her daughter to be a pretty little fool, just like her. Every time I read the book I feel like I just want to reach out and slap her.

I teach Gatsby as part of the curriculum in my classroom, and I am not blind to the literary elements in the book. It does have a great story with some intense themes and a strong moral, I just don't like it. For all you diehard Fitzgerald fans, don't judge me too harshly, soon I'll be teaching Steinbeck and I love him. I do have an appreciation of great literature, I just don't think Gatsby is all that Great.