Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to read. I love sitting down with a good book and getting lost in its pages. If you were to ask me what my favorite book is, I would tell you that is one of the hardest questions you could ever ask me. I would sit and stare at you for a minute, going through a list in my head: "Animal Farm," "Fahrenheit 451," "Alice in Wonderland," "1984," etc. etc. The list in my head would go on and on, and I would be worried that I wouldn't be able to remember the one book that was my absolute favorite. After thinking for a bit, my answer would be "The Great Gatsby."

Now, people always either roll their eyes or groan when I say my favorite book is "The Great Gatsby." Almost always. I have had the pleasure of meeting a handful of people that agree it is great and at the top of their list, but that interaction is rare. After the eye rolls and the groans, I am usually told that "The Great Gatsby" was assigned to them to read in high school and that they absolutely, positively, hated it with everything in them. I get a great pleasure out of people telling me that, because it opens up the door for me to talk, which is something that I love to do, a trait that I inherited from my dad.

I always start my sentence with, "Me too!" Because, truth is, I was assigned the book my junior year of high school, and I didn't even take the time to read it. I read spark notes before class and made educated guesses on my quizzes. I am most proud of the quiz on the last two chapters because I guessed that Myrtle died, and, spoiler alert, I was right.

After I relate to my Great Gatsby-hater, I tell them that I decided to give the book another chance, and I ended up loving it. Usually, they ask me why, and yet again I am blessed with the opportunity to talk some more.

Yes, "The Great Gatsby" is a book about a rich man in love with another man's wife, and yes, Gatsby used all his money to throw extravagant parties in his large house across the bay from Tom and Daisy, but the book is much deeper than some rich people and a love affair.

Nick is a redeeming character in the book. I relate with Nick when he says he is inclined to reserve all judgments about people because his dad told him to remember how privileged he was growing up. I relate to this because I am the type of person that tries to find the good in people and forgives people easily. Nick had a lot of respect for Gatsby because of how hopeful he was about his future with Daisy, how he seemed to have infinite hope for the future.

Another reason why I love this book is because of all the great symbolism it contains. The green light at the end of Daisy's dock symbolizes Gatsby's hope for his future with Daisy, and when he finally gets to show Daisy around his house, he makes the statement that he can't see the green light through the fog, which symbolizes his hope of being with Daisy finally being his. His swimming pool, which he doesn't get to swim in until the very end until the moment he is shot. The pool represents transition for Gatsby from wanting Daisy to thinking he has Daisy, because after Gatsby dives in the pool, he gets a phone call, who he thinks is Daisy, but then he is shot before he can answer the phone, and we figure out it is Nick on the phone. Gatsby died thinking he was going to run away with Daisy. The eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg that look over the valley of ashes are a representation of God. They are mentioned in the book multiple times. There are many more symbols, but these are just a few important ones. The more hidden meaning a book has, the more I love it.

Another great thing about the book is the commentary it gives on how people are focused on wealth and power, and how people can be extremely manipulative, which is shown by Daisy being looked at as an object by her husband, and how she married Tom simply to please others and for his money. Her absolute disrespect for Gatsby at the end when she doesn't call or go to his funeral is a reason why people argue that although Daisy is emotionally abused by her husband, she is also just a manipulative person.

I could go on forever about "The Great Gatsby." I could go on forever about the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in it because I think it is a beautifully created movie. Don't ask me about it unless you want to hear me talk for awhile.

And if you ever want to read it, just ask me. I have three copies.