"The Great Gatsby" was published in 1925. It was the third novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story has been adapted to film numerous times, including a recent picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio. There have also been a few TV productions, as well as an opera, on the same subject.
I haven't had the chance to sit down with the book, but if this film is faithful, it must be illuminating. People tend to focus on the glamour of being wealthy, and I get the impression that the rich are unduly venerated. There's definitely nothing wrong with looking up to success, but at the end of the day, we're all just human beings. Some have less and some have more, but essentially we're the same.
We fall in and out of love in the exact same way. We marry for the same reasons and we stray just as much. If Gatsby's character proves anything, he proves that money doesn't cure obsession. People can be insanely happy with love and marriage, but a few years later everything can change.
Classic Movie Trailers: The Great Gatsby (1974)
I often wonder why cheaters do it. I'm not at all surprised to see people grow apart, but I find it hard to understand why they don't leave right away. There must be some sympathy for the person that you've wed. You may not love them anymore, but that doesn't always mean you want to hurt them.
Maybe that's the reason why we hide infidelity. The wish to be with someone else doesn't make the breakup any easier. It's like the sour pill you eventually have to swallow. If anything is going to improve, you have to take it and wash it down.
Of course, I'm assuming that there is some love between you. The line that separates it from hate, might have been crossed long ago. You would think that they would sign the papers and be done with it. Honestly though, there's always more to it than just that.
When a relationship is well established, there are more than two people involved. You have in-laws, family, friends and other married couples to consider. People get used to those relationships, and they add to the difficulty. We put on a show for our neighbors and we don't want to be embarrassed, or shamed by our problems.
Come to think of it, shame might have a lot to do with it. You may be alright with leaving your spouse, but you may not be so keen on being left. Pride is an incessant beast that gnaws at the mind. It's one thing to breakup and quite another thing to have someone taken from you.
If you stop and consider the implications, there's something wrong with that idea. Marriage is a mutual commitment, and it isn't about becoming someone else's property. You can change your last name and become a part of a family, but you agree to that arrangement and you have to do so willingly. Both partners must benefit in the institution; you can say you belong to each other, but just remember that you choose to be.
It needs to be said that wherever you go, your children will bind you together. They're also involved in your relationship, and at the end they'll still be there. Maybe they are the reason why so many suffer so long. It's hard to explain change to an adult, and it's harder to break your kid's heart.
Coping takes a long time, and it may seem even longer. Routines are tough to break, but old habits will eventually give way. At the end we all must act with our best interests in mind. So with that stated, I have to conclude that divorce may not be among them.
We might say that we hate someone when the opposite is true. Marriage can fall apart sometimes, but it doesn't have to stay broken. People get used to their relationships and they're harder to leave than we're willing to admit. Maybe we drag our feet towards divorce, hoping we find the strength to run the other way.
Trailer here.
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Next Week: The "Love" in CMT - Love & War concludes with "People Will Talk" (1951).
Starring Cary Grant. Rotten Tomatometer: N/A, Audience Score: 78%
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