This Side of Paradise

"I know myself," he cried, "but that is all."

-This Side of Paradise 

So today I finished reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel - This Side of Paradise. I have to admit that at first I was really looking forward to this novel - Gatsby is probably one of my favourite books ever, and since it was by the same author I had high expectations for it.

So - did it live up to them? I certainly didn't like it as much as Gatsby, it was hard to understand at parts, but yet some parts were so well-written and philosophical that it made up for over-descriptive parts that I really couldn't understand at all. But there were so many beautiful quotes and dialogues between characters. I could also relate to the main character in a variety of ways.

In the most general terms, the novel tells the story of Amory Blaine, and is basically the same type of a novel as Catcher in the Rye - one about self discovery, finding one self's and learning about how society really is. It reminded me of the Bell Jar in a way too as Amory constantly is defying societal norms and what's expected of him. So...for a quick plot summary:

Amory Blaine starts off as an egotistic boy in high school. He has the idea that he is already quite successful, and can go onto do anything that he wants. His ego is only inflated by the fact that he gets into Princeton University where he is able associate with the rich/snobby upper class kids. At first, he aspires to be like those kids in Princeton and tries very hard to be conform and accepted. In fact, he tries so hard that he realizes he loses the "fundamental Amory"/who he really is and the whole novel is basically a quest for him to find out who he really is.

During this time at Princeton, Amory realizes that he can't conform because it ultimately has no meaning. This because apparent when one of his friends dies in a car accident on the way back from a party. This "friend" was someone very successful and popular whom Amory looked up to. However, as Sparknotes states:

"This seems to signal to Amory that he must live his own life and not try to become something else, since everybody ends up as an unattractive, dead mass at some point. Dick's death drives Amory sharply back toward the "fundamental Amory." "


So the first half of the novel is basically all about Amory's time at Princeton and a few failed romances that he has. After realizing that there is no point in conforming Amory eventually gets lazy and stops trying in school. As a result, he fails a geometry exam and is almost kicked out of Princeton. He eventually decides to forgo getting his degree as he feels Princeton has nothing left to offer him and leaves to fight in World War I.

Up until this point, all his relationships fail because women cannot hold his interest for longer than a couple of days. The second half of novel (after WWI) opens with Amory truly falling in love with a girl known as Rosalind. As irony would have it, Rosalind is just as egotistical as Amory and he truly falls in love with a women for the first time. However, because Amory decided to give up his education he has little money and Rosalind refuses to marry a poor man because she comes from a wealthy family (in fact, she is the sister of one of his bff's at Princeton). This causes her to break up with Amory and sends him into a state of chaos. He turns to alcohol as a refuge, loses his job. In fact, Amory's romance with Rosalind is probably my favourite point of the novel as its really beautiful and....pretty tragic as well. Its interesting to note the idea of social class plays a big role here - just like how Gatsby couldn't marry Daisy at first because he was poor. Its a common theme throughout all of Fitzgerald's novels, I'm starting to notice....

Eventually, Amory has another love affair with a women known as Isabelle during the summer, but he realizes he can never truly love someone again after Rosalind had left him. However, she's a complete psycho and decides to kill herself. In addition, Amory's mentor dies around this time and he hears the news that Rosalind is finally getting married to a far richer man. Penniless and heartbroken Amory decides to return to Princeton for one final reflection on his life, as that's basically where it all started.

Back at Princeton, Amory realizes that his character is inherently selfish. He realizes that his selfish-ness is what motivates his actions and will drive him along. He accepts the fact that had to lose both his education/wealth/romance in order to realize this. But this realization of himself is what he has been searching for all along, and is the point of the novel. He has finally found the fundamental Amory and no longer has to pretend to be a romantic/scholar or anything else he isn't. He does not regret losing his youth but simply wishes that he could experience losing it again. And so the novel ends with Amory's final, supposedly happy, words outside the towers of Princeton:

"I know myself," he cried, "but that is all."

So...my thoughts on the novel. As I said before, it was hard to understand at times. But I really liked it...Amory is a character to whom I can really to in his ambition and his romantic ideals. There are moments of sheer brilliance - like when Amory falls in love with Rosalind and when he first arrives in Princeton. The ending, of course, is bittersweet. It's ironic that all Amory's relationships/romances and his education were simply catalysts to making him understand his own character. But there are a lot more philosophical themes in the novel that I didn't discuss that include things like poverty, sexist and just how every character is very unique in their own way. It just goes to show that though the boys at Princeton are all putting up this facade, when Amory actually gets to know them they are all unique.

Overall, I just really enjoyed this novel and I felt it was the right time to read it as I too am leaving for university and getting a little more education when it comes to discovering myself. I would rate it 8/10. In comparison, Gatsby is a 9.5/10.