We all remember our early summers: the interval of time when youth and glory coalesced, the scale of horizons appeared infinite and days were filled with verve for both momentary diversions and distant prospects - when transience seemed everlasting and idyllic fantasies were child's play.
At the beginning of The Great Gatsby, protagonist Nick Carraway asserts, "I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." As we near the release of the sixth film adaptation of the classic American novel, we are reminded yet again that we are still not finished with this story. Since 1925, it has refused to escape America's cultural consciousness and it's becoming more evident that its lessons apply to us still.
As the upcoming movie reinserts the story back into the forefront of our minds, it is useful to think about what it says about the meaning of summertime - what it can and should do for our lives as college students.
Without going into a synopsis, it is enough to say that The Great Gatsby has everything to do with the nobility of striving, with having a sense of purpose. Over the course of the novel, Jay Gatsby comes alive for Carraway as he exemplifies what it means to be driven. And though his dream may be flawed, he wants to recapture an unrecoverable past. His aspirations are what ultimately define him. Gatsby comes to suggest that while the object of the quest may not be worthwhile, the quest itself is.
The summer is an important time for the mind to be nimble. As much as the desires for peace and tranquility are embedded into many people's idea of summertime, it contains a greater sense of possibility that can fuel our imagination and reinforce our optimism. There is an invigorating quality to summer that creates a possibility for reinvention.
After a long and arduous semester, students deserve some time to decompress. But after a short while, it is important to take advantage of all the opportunities that are available.
Summer is an extended period in which students are liberated from the constraints of a full academic semester. There is now time to get a job, take summer courses, etc. It behooves many - specifically those who know what type of career they want to get into - to seek an internship that could set you up for a job after graduation.
It is also a time for introspection and focus on personal growth. If you're in Buffalo over the summer, take advantage of what the city and the region have to offer - visit Niagara Falls, go to Shakespeare in the Park, check out Albright-Knox. Engage in your own personal journey to acquire knowledge and develop a greater sense of self.
Some say The Great Gatsby is a very sad book. Well, it is sad, but it is also hopeful. Carraway is a better human being at the end of the novel than he was at the beginning. Through his interactions with all the characters (not just Gatsby), he gains a better understanding of himself and the kind of life he wants to lead.
He learns from Gatsby the virtue of wanting to make yourself into a better person - and that is perhaps what summer is here for. It enables you to stop in your tracks and reflect on how you can improve yourself.
Summer is also a time to have fun - there is no question. But it is regenerative more than anything else. It is a time to keep working and keep moving and to develop aspirations.
Even if you partake in a share of tomfoolery once in a while, or maybe more than once in a while, be sure to squeeze in some time to better yourself.
Be sure to remember that this upcoming period is a time to think about the future while simultaneously living deep in the moment.
Think about how you want to be better in September than you are now. Unlike when you were a child, your prospects are no longer distant - they are right in front of you.
When you see the movie, we hope it will contain the same subtle reminders the book does - time passes and you can't get it back.
So, like Gatsby, believe in the green light; try to make the most of your summer.
Email: editorial@ubspectrum.com
