The Great Gatsby - A Metaphor for Life

Leonardo DiCaprio being served in “The Great Gatsby,” directed by Baz Luhrmann. Matt Hart/Warner Brothers Pictures.

Reflection given to the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace on May 17th, 2013.

Good morning.

By your presence here this morning, I take it that you have decided to give the Cannes Film Festival a miss – at least for this year.

 As such, it may have passed your attention that the literal buzz in Cannes this year has been provoked by Bazz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel, The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan in the leading roles.

 I have only seen the trailer but a friend who was invited to a preview of the film reflected a verdict similar to that of Richard Travers, critic for Rolling Stone, who wrote: “Shush. Listen. That’s F.Scott Fitzgerald turning in his grave.”

But please, do not let these words unfairly prejudice you. The film may, indeed, be wonderful.

The last major movie production of The Great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, was in 1975, the same year I first encountered the book for my English literature school exam; and not only can I say how much I loved the book but I felt so relieved as it was the only required reading that I actually managed to complete, the other tomes being so deadly dull and boring to my teenage mind that a kind word from NRCAT (National Religious Campaign Against Torture) would not have come amiss.

Anyway, the reason I now bring all this up beside it being in the news is that I have often reflected that life is rather like one of Gatsby’s parties.

Everyone’s invited, and even those not invited can still come along and join the fun – which seems to be their very purpose – having fun!

And yet, for all the merriment that’s being had, there seems only a passing interest in the host of all these parties and whose perpetual absence spawns rumors as to his actual existence. It seems as much as anyone really knows is that he once killed a man, or that he fixed the World Series; but no one really seems to care – they’re just here to have some fun. Does it really matter if he even exists?

And so it seems with life. For the most part, we’re all here trying to have some fun; enjoy ourselves with an equally scant interest into who has provided this experience that has brought us all together, but who again, because of a perceived absence and the assurances of some of our most scholarly intellectuals, may not even exist.

And not for a long time was I so reinforced of this hedonistic drive to have fun as the Be All and End All of this increasingly crazy party called life as I was after seeing a documentary last weekend called “Inside Job” about the global financial crash of 2008, which revealed the frenzied lust of financiers on Wall Street to have as much fun as money could buy, caring little or nothing for other party-goers who were simply seen as fodder for their own gain; and all of this so eased by the greasy hands-in-hands of Washington politicians.

But for those of us who are sufficiently curious to seek out our host it is surely not by chance that one of the principle guides should remark that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

Perhaps one day the desire to seek out our host in life may be our most urgent and pressing priority. I, for one, certainly hope so…