Similarities Between The Great Gatsby And Legally Blonde

Romance is the central topic of a variety of movies and novels; in many cases these are feel good stories about the paths of two lovers crossing. Love between two people is difficult due to several circumstances including commitment, family values, and other relationships. A famous romance novel is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, in which a famous up and coming businessman named Gatsby pursues a girl named Daisy, the daughter of very affluent parents. The modern equivalent to this classical American story is the movie Legally Blonde, directed by Robert Luketic. Elle, the daughter of prosperous parents, attempts to reconcile her relationship with Warner, a member of a family of well-respected lawyers and doctors from prestige universities.
Gatsby in The Great Gatsby and Elle in Legally Blonde view their lovers as ideas rather than people; this is shown through their impressions and the use of dialogue or gestures. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby has spent his entire life trying to impress Daisy by buying a mansion across the lake from her and hosting extravagant parties. Eventually Gatsby gains the courage to show her his home, she reacts, “that huge place there?' she cried pointing. 'I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. Celebrated people” (Fitzgerald 90). Daisy is a very materialistic person, so the mansion and the items inside of it are very appealing to her. Gatsby is astute enough to attract her through every purchase he makes, in order to rekindle their relationship. Through his description of these “celebrated people” Gatsby explains all of the famous producers, directors, or musicians that come to his mansion to enjoy his parties. As a result, Daisy is in utter amazement and needs to see every nook and cranny of Gatsby's elegant home. Gatsby's love for Daisy can be traced back to when they first met, she was, “more charming than ever, and Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes, and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor” (Fitzgerald 150). Gatsby is lost for words and overwhelmed by Daisy's beauty and sophisticated and proper actions. Gatsby throughout his life feels he should not be oppressed by wealth as he was as a child, but deserves to be successful being rich and prosperous. Furthermore, Daisy becomes the link to affluence and engrosses himself in this idea. Gatsby's ultimate goal is to become part of Daisy's social class rather than loving her as a person. These impressions through material items and Daisy's wealth induce Gatsby's goal of social climbing. In Legally Blonde, Elle changes her morals in order to get back Warner who she calls the love of her life.
Warner breaks up with her because Elle is not serious about her education, she decides to follow his advice and become a law student: “Once Warner sees me as a serious law student, he'll want me back. It's a completely brilliant plan!” (Legally). Elle grows up in a relaxed family where being a lawyer or a doctor is not necessary, this is a sharp contrast to Warner's family. Elle has completely changed her career path to impress Warner for the feeling of being in love, when in fact she may not be sure who exactly is her perfect man. Warner sees her as low class because he feels she is a pretty but not smart. Warner is not this person, during their breakup, he claims: “But the thing is, if I'm gonna be a senator by the time I'm thirty—I can't keep dicking around” (Legally). Elle sees Warner as a perfect human being because of the feeling of love, and takes this quote insult as advice rather than as criticism. Elle yearns to love someone and feel loved, so she looks past a person's character. Elle has made it her goal to impress Warner in return of the slim chance of a mutual relationship rather than considering the realistic goals of her
future. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby loses his sense of reason as a result of his personal goal to enjoy the benefits of being together with a rich women similar to Daisy in his conversations and gestures. Gatsby is determined he can achieve the goal of being with the rich and perfect Daisy from his imagination: “You can't repeat the past.' 'Can't repeat the past?' he cried incredulously. 'Why of course you can!” (Fitzgerald 110). Through this argument with Nick, Gatsby's determination to achieve goal is represented. Gatsby first met Daisy in Louisville, where he saw her in a higher light than anyone else in his life. His desire for Daisy and the status that comes as a result, have spun out of control to the point where he will never be satisfied. After reconnecting with Daisy, Gatsby is experiencing an ambivalence of emotions: “because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything” (Fitzgerald 95). Nick is able to see through Gatsby's facial expressions and gestures, that Gatsby is unable to ever possibly achieve his colossal goal, Daisy will never be able to fill this void in his life. For five years of his life, Gatsby has spent obsessing over his love for Daisy, and as a result she is closer and closer to absolute flawlessness and perfection in his own mind. Daisy and her wealth will never live up to his impossible expectations. Gatsby's dialogue and gestures explain his goal in loving the idea of being with Daisy In Legally Blonde, Elle uses her love for Warner as motivation to prove to him and herself that she can become a successful lawyer through her dialogue. By becoming lawyer Elle can be with Warner, but Warner continues to doubt her: “I just don't want to see you get your hopes up. You know how you get. I'1l never be good enough for you, will I? (Legally). During her time at law school, Elle constantly expects Warner to be perfect as she believes in her own eyes, when this is not the case in reality. His doubt of Elle, makes her determined that he will have a change in heart. Warner disagrees with Elle during a trial they are working on together, “If you tell him, you'll probably make summer associate. Who cares about Brooke? Think about yourself.” Warner attempts to help Elle by explaining why she should give the alibi, because even though it goes against her values she will get promoted. Elle feels insulted by his comment because she is disappointed that she ever loved a person that would be so full of himself and not think of other people. Elle realizes that Warner is not worth her time to pursue because of his cocky and narcissistic attitude, so she focuses her feelings of love towards Emmett. Elle's goal of needing to love someone and feeling love applies to any person, which is why she stops her pursuit of Warner. Emmett and Elle have achieved a more mutually loving relationship. Elle's need to love someone is seen through how she pursues Emmett and Warner. Gatsby and Elle have the same goal of being in love with who they believe is their soul-mate, but they pursue this goal due to different reasons. Gatsby is aspiring for the social status that comes about from being married to Daisy versus Elle who already maintains such a social status but is concerned about how she can achieve self-worth by being in a relationship. Love is an essential part of life that is important between people but Gatsby and Elle has overblown its importance in society. Gatsby and Elle try to achieve happiness through exaggerated desperation to be in love. These stories teach the reader that they should pursue whatever gives them true happiness.