Compare And Contrast The Great Gatsby
Lauren McCane
James Griffith
English 3378
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby tells the tale of a tangled web of love, lies, and liquor in the roaring 20s. Since the book came out in 1925, there have been several filmed versions of the story. One in particular stands out from the rest. The 1974 version in which Robert Redford plays Jay Gatsby is one of the most notable renditions of the classic novel. It is presented in a way that is elegant, yet it is very relatable. There were significant differences between the novel and the film though, including Tom and Myrtle’s characters, Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship and portrayals and key elements of the story. These changes were detrimental to the perception of the story.
The first major …show more content…
While they are hosting a party in the New York apartment, Myrtle embarrasses Tom in front of everyone for stepping on her new dog. She completely emasculates him in front of all their guests and Nick. Tom does strike back later and hit Myrtle, but he looks immediately remorseful for having done so. The Tom Buchanan from Fitzgerald’s novel would not let it seem as if a woman had any semblance of control over him, including remorse for his actions. This change in Tom’s character is harmful to the observation of the story because the hate for Tom has not been created. In order for the viewer to want Daisy to leave Tom, the viewer must dislike him strongly. Since he has not been portrayed as an arrogant, mean, haughty and forceful man, the viewer doesn’t feel strongly enough against …show more content…
Those viewers who read the novel before seeing the film know that it was Daisy who was driving the vehicle that hit Myrtle Wilson. But the film only alludes to this idea through camera angles and certain guilty looks coming from Daisy. It would take an extremely observant person to put these two ideas together. This is a crucial piece of information because it shows that Gatsby died for nothing. It also helps the viewer to like Gatsby more since they know he paid the ultimate price to keep Daisy’s secret. As if that isn’t bad enough, the viewers also never get to see Tom tell George Wilson that Gatsby was driving. The only thing the viewers see is Tom talking to George outside and no dialogue can be heard. This is also extremely important because knowing this would increase one’s hate for Tom. It would catapult him into the antagonist role when before he is just in the middle
James Griffith
English 3378
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby tells the tale of a tangled web of love, lies, and liquor in the roaring 20s. Since the book came out in 1925, there have been several filmed versions of the story. One in particular stands out from the rest. The 1974 version in which Robert Redford plays Jay Gatsby is one of the most notable renditions of the classic novel. It is presented in a way that is elegant, yet it is very relatable. There were significant differences between the novel and the film though, including Tom and Myrtle’s characters, Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship and portrayals and key elements of the story. These changes were detrimental to the perception of the story.
The first major …show more content…
While they are hosting a party in the New York apartment, Myrtle embarrasses Tom in front of everyone for stepping on her new dog. She completely emasculates him in front of all their guests and Nick. Tom does strike back later and hit Myrtle, but he looks immediately remorseful for having done so. The Tom Buchanan from Fitzgerald’s novel would not let it seem as if a woman had any semblance of control over him, including remorse for his actions. This change in Tom’s character is harmful to the observation of the story because the hate for Tom has not been created. In order for the viewer to want Daisy to leave Tom, the viewer must dislike him strongly. Since he has not been portrayed as an arrogant, mean, haughty and forceful man, the viewer doesn’t feel strongly enough against …show more content…
Those viewers who read the novel before seeing the film know that it was Daisy who was driving the vehicle that hit Myrtle Wilson. But the film only alludes to this idea through camera angles and certain guilty looks coming from Daisy. It would take an extremely observant person to put these two ideas together. This is a crucial piece of information because it shows that Gatsby died for nothing. It also helps the viewer to like Gatsby more since they know he paid the ultimate price to keep Daisy’s secret. As if that isn’t bad enough, the viewers also never get to see Tom tell George Wilson that Gatsby was driving. The only thing the viewers see is Tom talking to George outside and no dialogue can be heard. This is also extremely important because knowing this would increase one’s hate for Tom. It would catapult him into the antagonist role when before he is just in the middle