As I was finishing up reading the last page in the classic, 1920s set, novel, The Great Gatsby, my teacher announced to the class that we have a test on it, in the next two weeks. She said, “The movie comes out this weekend. Go ahead and watch it, but I am pretty damn sure it isn 't like the book at all. It probably is not even set in the 1920s; it probably will have a modern twist to it. So make sure all you students read the book and not just the movie.” (Marlaire) Therefore, my friends and I all decided that we will wait until we take the test to go see that movie. However, as the weekend hit, my best friend, Olivia, and I were too eager to wait. So we went to go see this classic text turn into a movie and see how the director, Baz Luhrman, …show more content…
The synopsis of the book and the movie are mostly the same. “The dialogues that the characters in the movie used were directly from the book.” (Scott) The American Dream theme is exactly the same, as well in the movie and book, and how the American Dream is something that an individual’s own conscience desires. Meaning everyone has their own unique American Dream. For example, to Jay Gatsby, the American Dream in the movie and in the novel was to get affluent, and with this, he wanted to charm Daisy Buchanan. (Rawden) The green light Gatsby often looks at represents the American Dream. The green symbolizes money, but the green light is at the Buchanan 's house, portraying that Gatsby can never achieve his dream because he lives in “West Egg meaning ‘new money’ and has no hope of becoming accepted by the 'old money’, East Egg, particularly Daisy” (41, Fitzgerald). “Furthermore, Daisy’s American Dream was always and forever will always be to be rich.” (35-36) She never left Tom because she knew he was the man who could secure her for the rest of her life, rather than new money Gatsby. In the end, this all ties back to the commonality of Fitzgerald’s text and Luhrman’s movie. On the other hand, the movie was a bit of an exaggeration of the 1920s. The cars, the colors, the parties, and all were a bit over dramatic. The first big difference is Nick Caraway …show more content…
In the book, yes, Tom is an arrogant, brutish man, and a cheater, but he still has softness in his heart, when Mrytle died. He didn 't point fingers at Gatsby right away. Yet, throughout the movie, Luhrman played Tom as a true villain; making Tom look like the maleficent guy, when really we should look at Daisy’s character. She’s a gold digger. If Gatsby didn 't have money at all, she wouldn 't have “loved” or stayed with him for a single second. In reality, her character is shallow, selfish, and she’s a killer. She isn 't as innocent as everyone sees her
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, “The Great Gatsby”, and Baz Luhrmann’s film, “The Great Gatsby”, both have similarities and contrasts between the two of them. The Great Gatsby is a novel and film taken place in the 1920s filled with wild parties, mysterious people, The American Dream, and most of all, love. There are several things that can be compared between the novel and film; such as the characters and the setting. There are also contrasts between the two as well; which is mainly involving the character Nick.
Novels are very unique things to read. They contain so much detail and information it’s almost hard to comprehend. Sometimes these unique novels are translated into movies and while most movies disappoint the reader by not capturing the complete essence of the novel, I felt that The Great Gatsby did not disappoint. Sure, there are some differences between the two but not enough to make the movie a complete disappointment. In this essay, I will begin by comparing the two together, the two being the novel and movie, then I will gradually move in the contrast of this essay.
To begin, how does F. Scott Fitzgerald view the American Dream and what symbols and literary devices does he use to convey his point of view? F. Scott Fitzgerald sees the American Dream to be based on illusions and desire for the impossible. All the American Dream is and will ever be is hope and desire. Fitzgerald shows that the desire and hope leads to disaster. For example, personally throughout the entire novel the symbol I found that had the most meaning was that of the green light. The green light was at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock and Gatsby would stare at from across the bay. He would reach out for it and realize that it was so close yet so far. I believe that this green light not only symbolizes
The American Dream is a major in American Literature. According to James Truslow Adams, in his book Epic of America, this dream promises a brighter and more successful future, coupled with a vision based on everybody being equal irrespective of their gender, caste and race. It emphasizes that everyone is innately capable of achieving his or her dreams with hard work. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is portrayed by Jay Gatsby's vision of attaining the social status he desires. Gatsby can achieve his dream once he marries Daisy Buchannan, a young woman he met in Louisville, where he falls in love with the opulence that surrounds her. Throughout the book, the motifs of the green light and fake facade are used to signify Gatsby's hope and never ending lust for status respectively. Gatsby's obsession with restructuring his past leads to his failure. Fitzgerald uses these motifs of the green light, fake facade and past to showcase Gatsby's objectification of his American Dream.
For example, Leonardo Dicaprio’s character of Gatsby was focused on emotions. I enjoyed that Redford was very calm and cool about everything and the way he approached the character but, Dicaprio made such an open and outgoing character which made the movie more entertaining. DiCaprio captured Gatsby’s intensity and charm and brought out the crazy mood swings and took his character and the audience to a more emotional place. Both Robert Redford and Leonardo DiCaprio had their own way of approaching the character and really selling Gatsby but Leonardo DiCaprios was better. Another reason I prefer the 2013 version of the 74’ is because of the bond and friendship Nick Carraway played by Tobey Maguire and Gatsby had MaGuire was able to bring a true and strong meaning to their friendship that made his and Gatsby’s bond feel organic and real and you were able to see that clearly unlike with Waterston where you just saw the friendship and didn’t feel any emotion. But I felt much more of a connection with his character than I did with the ’74 version. If you have read the book and seen the original film, then you understood where Nick was coming from in the scene where he was furious with Gatsby, after he believe he killed Myrtle only to find out that Gatsby wasn’t the one driving the car that killed Mrytle, MaGuire, did a fantastic job in showing his emotions and how what happened to Myrtle and the person that killed Myrtle affected him. I loved that Nick was a lot more real in this movie. He didn’t hold back and he gave the audience a reaction that anyone in life would have had if they were in his situation. Nick had the major issue of being dragged into situations because of people he knows. I thought Maguire did a great job of showing ...
In the Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald the novel does not reflect an autobiography, but several of Fitzgerald’s personal experiences are reflected in it. Similarities can be drawn between the novel and Scott Fitzgeralds own life. Similarities include Gatsby and Fitzgerald 's want for success through continuous failure, dreams of success, strong feelings towards alcohol, and their love life. Nick’s qualities that relate to Fitzgerald include his honesty as a man in relation to the liars surrounding him. Also his mid western values to not be judgemental makes him a perfect observer, but also makes him the perfect outsider, which is how Fitzgerald always felt in the company of rich people. The relation between Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is pushing its way into more and more classrooms, because it is interesting as a literary work and, moreover, because it remains relevant to issues in modern society.
During the course of the novel, Gatsby’s dream is revealed to be delusional and unrealizable, so the symbolic meaning behind the green light collapses. Finally, as Gatsby’s dream is dashed, the green light stops being something that is his alone, and is a torch passed to us instead standing for the unreachable dream of an “orgastic future” that is constantly getting farther and farther away and that we keep trying to grab for. Gatsby has spent his whole life longing for something better. Money, success, acceptance, and Daisy. And no matter how much he has he never feels complete. Even when he has his large house full of interesting people and all of their attention, he still longs for Daisy. He created in his dreams for the future a place for her, and he will not be content to have that gaping hole. So the green light stands for all of Gatsby 's longings and wants. The American dream was initially about individualism, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In the novel, dishonesty and greed have corrupted this ideal, and this is shown through the life of Gatsby, who’s dream to be with Daisy is ruined by the differences in social and economic statuses between them, and rampant materialism in her life. As Gatsby’s dream vanishes and is no longer a possibility the green light vanishes as well.
As the case with most “Novel to Movie” adaptations, screenwriters for films will make minor, and sometimes drastic, adjustments to the original text in order to increase drama and to reach modern audiences. Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film interpretation of The Great Gatsby followed the 1925 classic great plot quite accurately, with minor deviations. However, Luhrmann made some notable differences to the characters and settings of The Great Gatsby in order for the story to relate to the current generation and to intensity the plot
The American Dream is a concept in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success. All of this is achieved through the efficiency of hard work and dedication to reach that dream. People are lured into thinking they can have that dream if they live in America because it is the land of opportunity. The novel The Great Gatsby, is centered around the American Dream and how unachievable it is. Fitzgerald 's novel comments on how bad society is and how people dream unrealistically. The American Dream is hard to attain and hard to keep in any social class. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows, through Daisy 's dream, Wilson 's dream, and Gatsby 's dream, just how hard it is to obtain and fold on to the American Dream.
Benjamin Disraeli once said, “the magic of first love is the ignorance that it can never end”. In similar ways, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and the film The Notebook directed by Nick Cassavetes both share a similar love story producing the idea that first love never dies. Both the novel and the film present the idea of a lower class man falling in love with a wealthy woman. Neither of the men are able to stay with the women due to disapproval. When the men finally reconnect with the women, they realize they are already in a new relationship. Although the women are in different relationships, they know they are still in love with their first love, leaving a conflict for them in the current relationship
Although there was glamour in the party scene, it was highly impersonal. The characters in the movie seemed as if they were trying to hard to mimic the ones in the book. The characters in the movie didn't really bring their characters personalities to life. Though there is an exception to this, Leonardo DiCaprio did portray Jay Gatsby properly. The only problem with his character in the movie was that when he died no one shows respect come to the funeral, but in the book, his fathers comes and gives Nick some insight to the real James Gatz. The book was thoroughly quoted, but in times the quotes were cut and replaced with other translations of the actual line. That removed a lot of depth from certain quotes and
is Nick. In the novel Nick is a man who comes from a poor family who
Though success lies at the heart of the American dream, Fitzgerald deftly portrays the ease with which this sacred idea can become tainted by commenting on the corruption of wealth. Gatsby exemplifies the American dream in his ideals, in this case the desire for success and self-substantiation; however, this dream become corrupted because he is not able to distinguish the acquisition of wealth from the pursuit of his dream, embodied by Daisy, and is tainted by the illicit foundations of his wealth as well as his desires for an unsuitable married woman. Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the green light at the beginning of the novel to represent Gatsby’s dream and even uses the light to introduce him for the first time. “He [Gatsby] stretched his arms out towards the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing but a single green light, minute and far away”(Fitzgerald 26). The author uses the light to represent the American dream; initially the color green represented fertility, which plays a prominent role in the dream, but as the story progresses the green light grows to symbolize money. In his essay “Money, Love, and Aspiration”, Roger Lewis discusses the means by which Gatsby amasses his wealth and poisons his dream.
Movies can enhance the experience of a story, but they aren’t always completely accurate to the book. The movie, The Great Gatsby, by Baz Luhrmann, is a good representation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel; however, there are quite a few differences between the two. Some differences include; the portrayal of the characters, the importance of symbolism, and events that were either added or taken out of the movie.