Gatsby Versus Gatsby: Who Wins, Film or Novel?

The film versions of The Great Gatsby and the novel of the same name contain many vast differences, which drastically impact the execution of both.  Some of these differences include the setting, the music of the film, and even the overall depiction of some characters overall, as well as the interplay between characters in particular scenes, most notably the portrayal of Daisy and Jordan and their encounters with Nick, as well as how Tom ultimately betrays Gatsby with Wilson.

First off, the character of Nick is vastly different in both works.  Nick in the novel appears as (arguably) one of the few, if not only, level-headed person among everyone, the only person capable of seeing Gatsby’s true nature as it is under the façade.  Conversely, in the film, Nick is portrayed as being borderline alcoholic, and he has actually just completed an alcohol rehabilitation program and moves to the residence as a part of his recovery.  As such, one would not necessarily expect him to be as observant of the behavior and actions around him as he seems to be throughout the work, not to mention the beauty and flow of his language, as within one of his comments from Chapter 9 of the novel:  “For a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.” (Fitzgerald, F. Scott).  This digression from the original work casts a bit more doubt on Nick’s narration in the film, as his clearly troubled background poses the question as to whether or not he is a reliable narrator.

Another change is the works is how Tom manipulates Myrtle’s husband Wilson into Gatsby’s eventual murder.  In the book, Tom describes the car that struck and killed Myrtle, and his revelations lead Wilson on his own to discover and kill Gatsby.  In the movie, however, Tom explicitly tells Wilson that Gatsby killed Myrtle, which of course sets the events into motion that culminated in Wilson’s killing of Gatsby.  This change serves to make Tom even more reprehensible as a villain, since his actions are deliberate and engineered to create Gatsby’s doom.  Likewise, Jordan in the book is careless and carefree, and her attention to Nick seems merely a passing fancy, while in the film she contains many of these same traits but also seems hollow and not as developed of a character as Daisy.  Daisy herself is a character who in the novel is multifaceted, who seems initially as a prisoner of her own circumstances and choices, and who would be with Gatsby if life had not gotten in the way.  This notion is underscored in the scene where Daisy and Gatsby are touring his home and she marvels at “all the lovely shirts!” he has.  This statement is ambiguous because it could symbolize her regret at the lost years they never had together, or it could be envy for his financial status, since it becomes painfully obvious by novel’s end that Daisy cares only for money and social status.  The Daisy of the films, though, is also somewhat hollow, and seems less interested in Gatsby and “repeating the past” as he wishes it, than in following her own husband and her own social interests.  Thus, many of the characters are not as clearly defined in the film, which also makes it a bit more difficult for viewing audiences to understand their motivations as solidly as they could in viewing their textual incarnations.

The setting in the book and the film are vastly different as well.  In the book, Gatsby’s home is, of course, large, opulent, and grandiose, which is to be expected because Gatsby created the entire spectacle as a draw to win Daisy and her love.  However, in the movie version, almost every scene is drawn in an over-the-top manner, with loud colors, bold backgrounds, extravagant outfits, and garish furnishings.  The fact that every scene features such broad and bright colors creates a sense of oversaturation of sensation for audiences, and as such there is little variance in Gatsby’s mansion and any other setting in the film (Gatsby’s vast house and Nick’s modest cottage are drawn almost equally, which does not efficiently highlight the difference in income and standing between them, and such is critical for the story and for audience understanding).  Likewise, the music in the film reflects modern hip hop, with its dynamic beats and contemporary lyrics, as opposed to more of a Roaring 20’s feel, which would have been more in line with the parties and music Gatsby was renowned for.  As such, the setting and music serve more as distractions for viewing audiences, as both items jolt viewers into more of a present day setting than they do to maintain the 1920s auras that permeate the novel.

While the character of Gatsby himself remains an enigma in both works, and changes like a chameleon to suit whomever he is speaking to or dealing with, several crucial elements vary between the 2013 film and the original novel that can detract from the overall meaning of the written work’s basic metaphor (Gatsby’s undying love for Daisy at any cost and his blind belief that “you can repeat the past”).  In his unswerving quest for Daisy, Gatsby is blinded even to the fact of his own inevitable doom, and the film, unfortunately, obscures this fact with its gaudy displays, garish costumes, and loud present-day music.  Too, by not staying true to the initial portrayal of the characters from the written work, an element of each person is lost, and, in some cases, they have less of an impact on the story and even become uninteresting.  Overall, the book still stands tall even after many decades, while the film is much like Gatsby’s parties themselves:  noisy, entertaining, fleeting and ultimately unsatisfying and forgettable.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1st ed. Detroit: Wheeler Pub., 2008. Print.

The Great Gatsby. Australia: Baz Luhrmann, 2013. DVD.