In your own words, why is Gatsby so great or not great?

Why is Gatsby great? That’s a “great” question that many bleary eyed students have asked after a night of cramming Fitzgerald’s masterpiece into their consciousness. The answer is that Gatsby is the epitome of the American Dream and a man who doesn’t play by the rules. He throws lavish drunken parties but doesn’t attend any; he has a grand pool which he never (except once) swims in; he has more money than he can burn and yet doesn’t seem terribly interested in it. Gatsby is an enigma who wants to erase the past and fall in love with his beloved Daisy: he wants to live in an illusion created by himself. Gatsby tries to change reality, something the rest of us are slaves to, and he almost succeeds. Of course reality has a way of forcing its hand but at least Gatsby tried and he did it with a mystery that was dripping with style, that’s what makes Gatsby great.