Big Books of 2026
Aldwin Aguilar asked this question about The Great Gatsby:
My teacher keeps on insisting that Jay Gatsby is black. Is he?
Anna Gatsby is white in the book, yes, but the question feels a bit disingenuous. Is your teacher legitimately saying 'Jay Gatsby is black' or are they dra…moreGatsby is white in the book, yes, but the question feels a bit disingenuous. Is your teacher legitimately saying 'Jay Gatsby is black' or are they drawing a parallel between the characterization of Jay Gatsby and race relations both then and now, and how those would affect the book? Or perhaps raising the issue of a possible biracial element that goes unmentioned? Or even bringing Gatsby closer to today and how his story might relate to notions present in black narratives?

Gatsby isn't, by the book, black, but it feel like there was more happening here.(less)
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The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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