(Book Review) "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

             

1.Summary

The Great Gatsby, written as a first-person point of view by a narrator Nick Carraway, was published in 1925 by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.

It's a tragic love story of Gatsby, who ought to make a fortune to gain love.

Here's the plot.
 
The background of the novel is America of the 1920s, called the "Jazz Age." After World War I's victory, Americans enjoyed abundance and luxury, like jazz's sweet melody.

Born as a poor farmer's son, Gatsby craved to get out of poverty by all means. Gatsby is the symbol of the American dream achieving something from nothing.

Being a soldier, he met Daisy at a party and fell in love. Their love contained a tragedy due to the social status gap of the two.

As Gatsby participated in the war, the two lost touch, and Daisy got married to Tom. Both Tom and Daisy came from wealthy upper-class families. 

Gatsby, who returned from the war, earned enormous amounts of money from alcohol smuggling during the U.S. Prohibition era. Gatsby tried to get Daisy back.

Gatsby bought a mansion in West Egg in the Long Island Strait near New York City. He threw a grand party every weekend, waiting for the party-loving Daisy to show up one day.

Gatsby finally met Daisy. He wanted Daisy to divorce Tom and return to him. Gatsby's love was blind. He could do anything to win the heart of Daisy.

One night, a woman named Myrtle was killed by a car, which belonged to Gatsby, but was driven by Daisy at the time of the accident; Gatsby hid this fact for Daisy's sake.
 
However, Tom told a lie to Wilson, the deceased Myrtle's husband, that Gatsby drove the car. Wilson got fury and shot Gatsby to death.

Daisy traveled with Tom without knowing the death of Gatsby.

Gatsby threw many parties for hundreds of guests, but Gatsby's funeral was too lonely.

There was only one mourner at the funeral, an owl-eyed man who'd been one of Gatsby's party guests.

2.Lessons

In this novel, all messages are focused on the scene of Gatsby's funeral. In a way, we can say that this novel was written to show the background of Gatsby's funeral.

Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

What makes Gatsby great? Some would say that his achievement in the American dream was outstanding, and others would say that his love was great. But either way, the essence is earthly.

The funeral scene shows the vain ending of their love that would be gone like fog.

Gatsby, who had devoted everything to Daisy, ironically lost Daisy and destroyed even himself.

Many of the people who enjoyed Gatsby's party also disappeared as soon as he passed away.

It reminds us of Ecclesiastes 1:2, "Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

Let's ask ourselves: What kind of death do I want to face? Then how should I live?

The novel ends up with a monologue of Nick, who is the narrator.

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
 
If, as Nick said, we can continue rowing against the current, that'll be great. However, if it is only that, we cannot avoid another meaningless death like Gatsby.

Wholly and urgently, we must change the direction. Which way? Towards the Gospel!

 

(Essay) The wisdom that we learn from Uncle Tom's Cabin

I remembered one thing, reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe.

When I was a university student, I had asked what I was wondering to my Christian friend. At that time, I was an unbeliever. "Why did Jesus not fight against Rome?" 

I thought that Jesus, as a Jewish leader, should have dedicated himself to the liberation of his country.

His answer was: If the world were turned upside down by force, there would still be another ruler who suppressed the people.

He added that Jesus came to the earth to break such a vicious circle. What Jesus wanted to transform was not politics but humankind.

There is a similar debate over Uncle Tom.

From the perspective of today's human rights activists, Uncle Tom was an easy-going slave who was just obedient to his master.

But we need to realize that Tom's character, looking weak, has rather become a spark that burned the flames of the Civil War.

A greeting from Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Stowe, the author, tells the truth. "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

Tom forgave his evil master, Simon Legree, even as he was beaten to death. It reminds readers of the image of the deacon Stephen(Acts 7:60), who followed the forgiveness of Jesus on the Cross. 

We Christians are concerned about how to change our history. Reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, I saw that Tom's obedience, patience, and forgiveness destroyed the stronghold of slavery.

I would like to remind ourselves of the lessons learned from Uncle Tom's Cabin in a situation where human rights are still being unfairly violated. 

(Essay) Are we waiting for Samuel Beckett's Godot or God's grace?

When will the COVID 19 spread come to an end? Even if NZ is in a better situation,  there are still heaps of outbreaks of coronavirus worldwide.

It looks like only when the whole world is free from the pandemic simultaneously, each country can say it's okay.

A few months ago, I read an article in the Washington Post, where the editor said we all became Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot.

I agree with him. The two characters of the play were waiting for Godot to the end. However, they had no idea who Godot was and when he would arrive.

It's just like us now. We are waiting for something in the pandemic. But what is it? Is it a cure or a vaccine or a collective immunity? What is Godot we are waiting for, and when will it arrive? 

I remember the ending of The Plague by Albert Camus. The epidemic was gone on its own in nine months since the first outbreak.

The pestilence was a new kind, like the current new coronavirus. Updated medicine was urgently needed for treatment.

The new serum had been dramatically developed through many failures of the clinical trial. But the novel doesn't say the remedy was the decisive factor that ended the plague.

People in the story anticipated the plague would withdraw as it got cold, but that didn't happen. The epidemic was still going on, despite the first winter cold coming in December.

By the way, the strong plague suddenly weakened in January. Patients began being recovered, and alive rats were moving around the city.

The government announced officially that the plague had been eliminated as of the 25th of January.

The novel doesn't let readers know the exact reason for the elimination of the plague. It remains mysterious.

But we Christians confess there was the grace of God behind the salvation from the misery.

The grace of God is like sunlight for both the evil and the good. (Matthew 5:45) But we respond differently. Christians will praise God, but non-Christians will honor their luck or effort or principles of nature.

We are going through tough times. Under the pandemic, we feel like all humankind is kneeling before the coronavirus. 

What shall we wait? The Meaningless Godot? Or God's grace, that is, Jesus who saved us?

(Book Review) "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett

1. Introduction

'The Secret Garden' was published in 1909 by Frances Hodgson Burnett, a British-American novelist.

The novel has a touching story that dying lives revive. The restoration of life! When and how can we experience the heart-pounding moment?

2. Summary

Mary Lennox, a ten-year-old girl, was born and raised in India. Her parents had died of the epidemic Cholera.

After that, she came to Misselthwaite Manor, her uncle Mr. Craven's place in Yorkshire, England.

Mary had been not well and a spoilt child. Anyone had never liked her at all in India. 

 

In Misselthwaite, she got associated with a maidservant Martha, an old gardener Ben and a red-breasted robin. The f8nellowship got her better in body and mind.

This manor had a secret garden, where nobody had been allowed to enter in the past decade.

 

It used to be Mrs. Craven's garden. She was sitting on a tree branch when it broke, and she fell. She was so severely hurt that she finally died. 

Mr. Craven had closed the garden since she died. He wouldn't let anyone talk about the garden.

One day, Mary happened to find a key to the secret garden, thanks to a robin.

 

She got into it and began looking after the desolate land. Dickon, the brother of maidservant Martha, helped her.

Mary heard the faint sound of a child crying at night. She asked the servants about it, but no one would tell her.

 

The child was Colin, Mr. Craven's son. He grew up hearing that he would die before reaching adulthood due to his weak back. He was always sitting in his wheelchair.

But a famous doctor had been to see the son, and he said Colin would be OK. Nevertheless, the poor child was scared of his dark destiny.

One night, Mary, following the cry, met up Colin. She took him to the secret garden that she was cultivating. Colin first experienced the joy of planting life there.

 

He became healthy, and he could walk on his own without a wheelchair, not long after. Colin called it magic.

When Mr. Craven returned home, he was surprised to see his son, who had changed completely. Colin told his dad that he would never rely on a wheelchair again.

With all the servants watching, Mr. Craven walked home across the lawn with Colin, a strong and upright as any boy in Yorkshire.

3. Lessons

(1) Revival of Life

The Misselthwaite Manor that became  Mary's new home used to be a place of darkness, where life had been gone for a long time.

 

The life of the house came back when Mary opened the door of the secret garden.

The writer reveals the restoration of life one by one.

First, the life of Mary, who everyone hated in India, then the life of Colin, who was forgotten by all, and last, the life of Mr. Craven, who wandered alone after his wife died.

This story reminds us of the recovery of life that we see in Ezekiel 47 of the Bible.

 

The water flowing out of the temple rose to the ankle, knee, waist of the person, and finally became a river enough to swim and cross.

 

Wherever the water flowed and touched, the work of restoring life took place.

Therefore, when we meet our neighbors who are losing their light of life, we can find words to encourage them through this novel.

" If you have a secret garden in your life, open it first."

(2) The Life of Helping Neighbors

We see people who are killing or harming others for their benefit. They insist that in a competitive society, they can survive only in that way.

 

The path may bring them money or power right now, but it will end up ruining their future eventually.

Proverbs 14:12 leads us to that lesson. "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death." (NIV)
 
If so, what should we do to help ourselves? Unlike the worldly view, the Bible teaches that helping neighbors is the way of helping myself. 

Jesus says, "Love your neighbor as yourself."(Mark 12:31) But that's not the end. Furthermore, the Lord says, "love your enemies." (Matthew 5:44)

Proverbs 25:21 has the same lesson. "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink."

When doing this, the promise of verse 22 will bless us. “The Lord will reward you.”                             

 

(Book Review) "The Stars" by Alphonse Daudet

1. Summary

'The Stars' was published in 1868 by Alphonse Daudet. When reading this short story, I thought holy and pure were like both sides of a coin. 

Here's the summary.

I, as a shepherd, am alone for weeks in the mountains to feed sheep. I yearn towards the daughter of my master, my lady Stephanette.

One day there is no one else to deliver two weeks' provisions to me, so Lady Stephanette comes to me herself with the essentials on the mule.

With all done, Stephanette goes down the mountain but comes back up because she has found a stream flooded by the rain.

I have the lady Stephanette inside the place, and I stay outside to keep her safe. She comes out as she can't sleep. God is my witness. No wicked thought arises in me, despite the fire of love that burns in my blood.

To the young lady who is afraid of the night in the mountains, I tell the story of stars in the sky. Stephanette, who's been listening, falls asleep with her head on my shoulder.

I imagine one of the stars, the finest and the most brilliant, loses her way and lies on my shoulder to sleep.

2. Lessons

This story gives us the feeling of a poem or love song. It is not offensive or sensational but lyrical, like a melody of pure love.

Even as Christians, our character still has too many marks of sin. We learn from 'The Stars' that holiness the Bible says is synonymous with purity, which has washed away the stains of sin.

It would be nice if we can always look at the purity of our souls that the stars in this novel symbolize. Then the lyric poetry of 'The Stars' will be engraved in our souls.

Psalm 19:1 sings, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

The stars contain the glory of God. So when we see them, we cannot help but praise God's superiority and splendor.

In this novel, the shepherd thinks that the most beautiful and shining star among countless stars is Stephanette.

There is no doubt about it. The Bible says that when God created all things and finally made a man, the creation was not just good, but "very good."(Genesis 1:31)

The true Christian, whose image of God has been restored, must be the most beautiful and shining star like Stephanette among all the stars in the sky.

Years ago, I tried street evangelism on every weekend. I reached out to many people with the gospel, but I was often rejected and turned away. When I encountered Christians in the street sometimes, I couldn't be happier and more grateful.

Looking at many passers-by, I  thought that the Christians would be like shining stars like jewels in the spiritually dark world in God's sight.

 

 

(Book Review) "Ivan the Fool" by Leo Tolstoy

 1. Introduction

 

'Ivan the Fool' is a short story published in 1886 by Leo Tolstoy.

When I finished reading 'Ivan the Fool,' I remembered the words of Corinthians 1:27, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise..."

How is it wise to live? Let us find the answer through this story.

2. summary

 

There lived a rich peasant, who had three sons and a daughter: Simon the Soldier, Taras the Stout, and Ivan the Fool, besides Martha, who was dumb.

One day Simon and Taras each came to the father and demanded to share his property.

When the father asked for the opinion of Ivan, who was taking full care of housework, he willingly agreed.

So the father distributed the portions of the two.

The old devil was unhappy that Ivan's family was in peace. He summoned three little imps and instructed to tackle the three brothers.

Each of the three imps took in charge of each of the three brothers.

The imp in charge of Simon made him so bold that he would try to conquer the world for his king. The vain ambition failed, and the king put him in prison.

Soon after, the imp let him break out of prison and escape to the father. Simon would become a troublemaker of the family. 

The devil handling Taras impulsed him to buy everything he wants. As a result, Taras owed a significant debt. He ought to run to his father for help. 

However, Ivan the Fool that another devil took charge was a pain in the neck. No matter how much the devil caused his stomach ache, Ivan didn't stop working, holding up the pain.

As the devil held on to Ivan's plow and didn't let it go, Ivan pushed his hand deep into the furrow and pulled something out. It was the nasty devil.

The devil, asking for his life, handed to Ivan three wood roots, which could cure any illness. One of the roots healed Ivan's stomach ache at once. 

Ivan released the devil, blessing, "Now begone! God be with you." As soon as he mentioned God, the devil plunged into the earth, leaving a hole.

Then the other two demons took a dare on Ivan but failed because of Ivan's upright and sincere character.

The first demon saved his life in exchange for letting Ivan know the secret of how to make soldiers out of a sheaf of rye.

The second demon also showed Ivan how to make golds from oak leaves to save his life.

Letting go of them, Ivan blessed, "God be with you!" They freaked out and plunged into the earth. Only one hole each was left behind.

The princess of this country came down with an incurable illness. Ivan healed the princess. Not thanks to the magic root.  He had already used the last root for a beggar woman with a crippled hand. 

Nevertheless, as soon as Ivan entered the palace, the princess was healed instantly. Ivan got married to the princess. After a while, the king died, and Ivan became the next king.

Simon also became another country's king thanks to Ivan, who made soldiers out of a sheaf of rye. The peace-loving Ivan had thought that the role of soldiers was singing. 

Taras became the king of another country, too, with the help of gold coins that Ivan made from oak leaves.

The childlike Ivan had thought that glittering gold coins were the same as toys to play.

However, both countries went under not long after. It was because the old devil stepped out against them.

Simon's military kingdom eventually ended up being conquered by a stronger enemy.  He lost all things.

Taras gathered a lot of money, but he couldn't buy anything with it. The old devil bought everything at a higher price one step ahead of Taras. All money was useless for Taras.

Finally, the old devil attacked Ivan and his country.

By the way, there was one rule in the kingdom: Only those who had horny-hands deserve to eat.

Martha, Ivan's sister, didn't allow the old devil to come to the dining table because he had clean and smooth hands.

The angry devil blamed Ivan's people, working with the hands, to be foolish.
He suggested letting people learn how to work with their heads.

There gathered many people at first around the tower where he spoke, but they all left eventually, losing interest.

The old devil began to grow weak so that he staggered and hit his head against the pillars on the platform. 

People said that he was finally beginning to work with his head, but the old devil tumbled out the stairs and left a hole on the ground. Ivan noticed that the nasty thing was the father of the previous little imps.

Likewise, also in the future, all the people in Ivan's kingdom will work hard. There is still one rule in the country; whoever has horny hands comes to the table, but whoever has not, must eat what the others leave.

3. Lessons

(1)  Why don't we make foolish choices?

Ivan is a fool. He does not take care of his profit, and he willingly accepts even discrimination.

To our surprise, however, the image of Christians in the Bible is not different from Ivan's.

In particular, the Corinthian 1:23 says, "but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." (NIV)

And the Bible also explains that God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. (Corinthians 1:27)

Jesus' crucifixion to save the world is a foolish act in itself from the worldly perspective.

What kind of life do you want to live? When that question came into mind, remember this story and resolve below happen.

"Why don't we make foolish choices? Let me start living like a fool."

Do you want to experience a heavenly life in your daily life? If you have such a desire, how about living the way of Ivan the Fool little by little?

(2) The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.

We live in a world that admires life enjoyable without working. Lotto is envious in that it can give us a wealthy lifestyle at once if we win.

But the biblical view of work is not like that. According to Genesis 2:15, God placed Adam, the first man, in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 makes the point more clear. "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." (NIV)

We might think this novel is more respectful of blue-collar working with the hands than white-collar operating with the head.

But if we look deeply into it, we will find such a view is not what the novel says.

We are easy to ignore the value of manual labor. The novel defends the perspective that working hands matter, representing it through both lives of Ivan the Fool and Martha the Dumb.

And it is warning against the discrimination which is devaluing manual labor, comparing it to the arrogant attitude of the old devil.

In the country of Ivan the Fool, we can see what a community with biblical values is like.

Heaven, as we often imagine, would not be a place to enjoy without working. Wouldn't it be the opposite?

In God's kingdom, people who are working will be most praised. So Jesus said, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working."

 

(Book Review) "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen

                      

 1.Introduction  

   'The Little Mermaid' was published in 1837 by Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen.

   The Little Mermaid gives up everything because she loves the prince. It's like our relationship with Jesus. The Little Mermaid's love leads us to the love of Jesus. Now it is our turn. What about our love for Jesus?

2.Summary

   The Little Mermaid lives with her father, a sea king, grandmother, and five older sisters. Mermaids have permission to rise out of the sea when they reach their fifteenth year.
 
   It was finally the youngest princess's turn. As she swam up the water, she saw a ship holding a banquet. It was a birthday party for a prince. The moment the Little Mermaid saw the prince, she fell in love.

   The girl hid nearby and waited for someone to help him out. A young woman from the monastery found the prince and took care of him. The prince, coming to life, mistook the woman for a lifesaver. The Little Mermaid was heartbroken with grief.

   She came down to the sea and asked her grandma, "Can humans live forever?"
The old lady replied that mermaids sometimes lived up to three hundred years, but the span of human life was even shorter.

   The grandma also said that when a mermaid died, it became a sea bubble, while humans lived with immortal eternal. The Little Mermaid wanted to be a human. She wished she would love the prince forever as a human.

 

   She went to the sea witch and asked for her help. Instead of giving a potion for making human legs, the sorceress demanded the princess's tongue, which allowed her to sing beautiful songs.

   In addition to that, The eternal soul of a human being that the Little Mermaid wanted was not easy to obtain. It was only possible to get it when she reached marriage with the prince, being loved by him. If the prince married another woman, the mermaid would turn into a bubble.

   Moreover, once she had become a human being, she could never come back as a mermaid forever. The Little Mermaid accepted all this.

   She approached the beach close to the palace where the prince was and drank a draught of the potion. When she fell unconscious, the fish's tail was gone, and she had a pair of human legs.

   The prince discovered her. He liked her, who was pretty and kind despite being unable to speak. He took her anywhere he went. The prince was fond of seeing her dancing. The desperate girl for love danced for the prince with all her heart even though she felt pain and shed blood at every step.

   The king wanted the prince to marry the princess of a neighboring country. Surprisingly, the princess turned out to be the lady, the prince believed, to save his life on the coast. The prince didn't hesitate to accept the marriage a moment. They threw a party on the ship to celebrate the wedding.
 
   The poor girl did not get the prince's love. As the sea witch warned, she was about to become a foam. At that time, her sisters came up and gave a knife they got from the sea witch. If the Little Mermaid plunges it into the prince's heart and his blood falls upon her feet, she will be once more a mermaid.

   The Little Mermaid sneaked into the cabin and raised a knife at the sleeping prince by the bride, but she could not stab him. She went back out of the cabin, threw the knife away into the waves and jumped into the sea.

   The heroine of this tragic love turned into a bubble. But that wasn't the end of the story. Afterwards, she became a spirit of the air, feeling the warm sunshine.
Thanks to her kind heart, she will have a chance to obtain an immortal soul one day in the next three hundred years.

3. Lessons

 

   When we read 'the Little Mermaid' through the Biblical perspective, we will easily attempt to connect the prince in the story with Jesus because the Bible compares Jesus to a groom, the church to a bride.

   However, as we read the story, we rather feel the deeper fragrance of Jesus from the Little Mermaid.

   Read one of the monologues of the Little Mermaid after she rescued the drowning prince and laid him on the beach. (among the quotes in the Disneyland animation)

   "What would I pay to stay here beside you?"

   This word of the Little Mermaid directs our eyes straight to Jesus. As Revelation 5:9 says, He is the Savior Jesus who purchased persons for God. In other words, Jesus paid His blood to set us free from prisoners of sin.

   What price did the Little Mermaid pay to stay beside the prince? Above all, she gave up her status as the sea princess.

   It reminds us of Jesus, who abandoned the glory of heaven to come down to this earth because he loved us who were sinners.

   The Little Mermaid also paid her tongue and voice to the sea witch instead of getting human legs. Moreover, she even accepted the worst-case scenario of dying when not getting love.

   We take the scent of Jesus' love from Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." It is an amazing love that has reached the terminal of the Cross, starting from the dishonor of incarnation.

   The Little Mermaid, who is destined to become a bubble, gets a chance not to die. If she kills the prince with a knife of the witch, she could go back to a mermaid.

   But the Little Mermaid didn't go that way. It's because of love. The choice has led her to lose the mortal life, but to gain the chance for immortal life.

   "What would I pay to stay here beside you?" The Little Mermaid asked so and dedicated everything of her, even life.

    If so, what about me? What can I dedicate to love?