The Great Gatsby: The Alternate Titles
The Great Gatsby’s title was not Fitzgerald’s choice and never his favorite. How would the book’s reception be changed if it were instead called “Trimalchio in West Egg,” “The High-Bouncing Lover,” “Gold-Hatted Gatsby,” or “Among Ash Heaps and Millionaires”?
While I cannot speak definitively for every reader or book-peruser out there, I do have my own opinions as to how I would receive — or perceive — The Great Gatsby, had it been titled something else of the choices Fitzgerald considered, preferred.
Trimalchio in West Egg, upon first glance, having read the story before, makes only partial sense to me. I know what the West Egg portion of the title is referring to, but I had to turn to the internet to understand the first quarter, Trimalchio. Now I know that Trimalchio is the name of an ancient fictional character, one wealthy by distasteful means; I see how it works in the title, clearly a reference to Gatsby. Points for creativity, I would say. Despite understanding or not understanding the title’s allusions, the title alone feels a bit more prestigious or proper to me than The Great Gatsby. I think that if I happened upon a book with this title, I would be, depending on the cover art, intrigued but slightly wary. Words in titles that I question the pronunciation of make me a bit hesitant to read the book.
The High-Bouncing Lover brings the romance elements of Fitzgerald’s story to the forefront, the center of attention. The title, The Great Gatsby, has no hint of the story revolving around love, and therefore, I feel it sounds more as if it could appeal to a more general audience. Whereas, The High-Bouncing Lover would maybe attract more of a mature female audience. Along these lines, if Fitzgerald’s story were titled this option, then I think it would, perhaps, be seen less in high school curriculum.
Gold-Hatted Gatsby gives off the most juvenile (younger audience-oriented) vibes of the listed title options. If The Great Gatsby was not The Great Gatsby but Gold-Hatted Gatsby, I imagine that I and all readers would have no choice but to picture Gatsby wearing a gold hat throughout reading the novel. Specifically, I am envisioning a fancy, shiny gold Abe Lincoln-style top hat. Wearing the hat even while lounging in the pool near the end? Even while lounging in the pool near the end.
An interjection — I am so slow to notice things. I see now that both The High-Bouncing Lover and Gold-Hatted Gatsby allude to the quote by Thomas Parke D’Invilliers, Fitzgerald’s pen name, that precedes the opening chapter of the novel. I like these two options more now.
Among Ash Heaps and Millionaires gives me, unlike the other options, creates, at least to me, a duller, sadder ambiance around the story. I would one hundred percent, maybe because of the word “ash,” picture a totally greyscale cover for a book with this title. There’s something about it that I am not a fan of, like it gives me a sense of a nonfiction work or other book I would generally avoid because it sounds, somehow, boring?
Maybe in part because I am sometimes antsy about change, but I like The Great Gatsby better than the other options. Sorry, Fitzgerald. I like its alliteration; I like its somewhat vagueness and lack of love-mentioning; I have no issues with it placing Gatsby at the focal point of the story. If I were to rank the five options here from my favorite to least favorite, from how likely I would be to pick up the book based on the title alone, I would probably go: The Great Gatsby, The High-Bouncing Lover, Gold-Hatted Gatsby, Trimalchio in West Egg, Among Ash Heaps and Millionaires.
With that said, and with all due respect to Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby, my absolute personal favorite title alternative would, however, be this:
