The Great Gatsby Book Vs Movie

In the twentieth century, the United States went through a spurt of growth socially and economically. The rich were getting richer, and the popular were gaining even more fame. The glamour and clamour of the roaring twenties is best depicted through the novel “The Great Gatsby”. The book, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald has had great success, and has been adopted into a wildly popular film seen all across the world. While the two pieces closely resemble each other, they can easily be contrasted. When looking at both the book and the movie spin-off, we can point out differences in their setting, how characters are portrayed, and well all we can also find similarities, such as Mr. Gatsby’s parties. Between the movie and the book, we can conclude
drastic differences about the setting. In the book, it seems to be a little more relaxed, whereas in the book it feels like a constant party from the start. In the beginning of the book, Nick explains his family history, what he is doing in New York, and explains any other such questions we have. “My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations.” (Fitzgerald 3) Nick starts off slow, building tension about himself and the interesting people around him. However, the movie dives right in. We quickly meet the Buchanans and Jordan Baker, and the feud starts. The movie makes us feel like we are hoping from one party to the next. It puts us in a more modern feel by playing rap music and introducing modern concepts to the 1920s. We can also see contrasting views in how Nick is portrayed. In the book, Nick is a careful, reserved young man who seems like he lays out his steps before walking them. He shares important advice with us in the beginning of the novel, saying “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had’”(Fitzgerald 1) A piece of information like this at the beginning of a novel makes us think, and also forces us to think about how Nick is thinking. In the movie, the opening scene is of Nick, troubled and receiving help from a doctor about his mental health. The doctor has written down that he is a severe alcoholic. Where we see Nick as composed in the book, we see a completely different side of him in the movie that is not portrayed in the novel. Lastly, we can compare the extravagancy of Gatsby’s parties. Gatsby’s parties included alcohol, music, dancing, and it was all open to anyone who could walk through those doors. “They conducted themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with an amusement park.” (Fitzgerald 41) There was enough alcohol for everyone to get wildly drunk, and for everyone to have a great time five times over. In the book, the parties are portrayed in a similar light. When we first arrive at the party with Nick, people are already drunk, the music is loud, and the place is crowded. There was live entertainment with professional dancers, jazz bands, and all sorts of things that you would not normally see. When looking at both the book and the movie spin-off, we can point out differences in their setting, how characters are portrayed, and well all we can also find similarities, such as Mr. Gatsby’s parties. Even though we can align the movie and book very closely, we can still see drastic differences that change the plot into a different perspective. When people think of the 1920s, the automatically connect either the novel or the movie of The Great Gatsby to it, making it a timeless novel for all to read.