William Welch

Feb. 24, 2016

5B
Gatsby Argument Essay
Gatsby Versus Gatsby
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a wondrous novel that take place
during the 1920s. This story tells the tale of a young tycoon who is madly in love with a married
woman and the adventures of their affairs. There is much symbolism in The Great Gatsby some
of which include the story relating to the American Dream. There are two films that we as a class
studied recently about The Great Gatsby. One film that was directed by Baz Luhrmann and the
other film directed by Jack Clayton. These two films about The Great Gatsby share their likeness
with the story according to characterization, settings, and themes. How well each film does
creating a story most like that of the book will become the best interpretation of The Great
Gatsby.
One of the major parts to film making is the expression of the characters inside the film.
The Luhrmann version does an excellent job at portraying Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio)and how
Gatsby's life revolves around Daisy (Carey Mulligan). In the book all Gatsby thinks about is
Daisy, his life and all his actions revolve around her. In the Clayton version Gatsby (Robert
Redford) is portrayed as being insecure about himself. Gatsby's feelings are more focused inward
rather than being focus outward unto Daisy (Mia Farrow).
The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920s and each film describes this time period in its
own different way. The Luhrmann version accurately depicts the endless drinking and partying
that is described in the book. Gatsby is in charge of these wondrous obscene parties, with liquor
flowing from one cup to the other. The Clayton version expresses these parties well, but lacks the
glamour and overall sense of recklessness that is felt from the book. In the book The Great

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Gatsby guests of gatsby's parties seemed to party like there is no tomorrow, like this was there
one last night to live.
The story of The Great Gatsby itself focuses on love. Daisy, being a married woman,
loves both her husband and Gatsby. Baz Luhrmann depicts Daisy as being truly torn between her
love for her husband and her love for Gatsby. The novel states, "I glance to Daisy, who was
staring terrified between Gatsby and her husband, and at Jordan, who had begun to balance an
invisible but absorbing object on the tip of her chin" (134). In the story Daisy cannot decide
whether she is truly in love with Gatsby, enough that she will admit to never loving her husband.
The Luhrmann version shows Daisy as being distraught and emotionally exhausted when making
this decision to the point where she cannot take it anymore. Clayton depicts Daisy as being more
bubbly and excited to the point where she seems to not be so torn on her love. This decision does
not seem to affect her as much as it does in both the book and the Luhrmann version.
One of the main components of the 1920s and The Great Gatsby is the audio score. The
story of Gatsby is upbeat and exciting. The parties are portrayed as being wild with dancing and
drinking. The film directed by Baz Luhrmann does an excellent job at using music that perfectly
describes Gatsby and this era. The audio score in the Luhrmann version does not only depicts the
wildness of the parties but the love between Gatsby and Daisy. One of the things that is most
beautiful about the Luhrmann version is the audio score when Daisy sneaks away to Gatsby
home and spends countless hours with him. The music sets the mood as being eerie and
mysterious greatly expressing the fact of their affair. The audio score for the Clayton version
accurately expresses the old timey feel of the 1920s but fails to express the upbeat and
mysterious feeling of the story. At times the Clayton version contains slower music that may bore
the viewer.

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One last concept that is focused in these two films is the concept and symbolism of the
American Dream. The Luhrmann version, again, depicts Gatsby's character as being tunnel
minded, his eyes are set on daisy and he won't rest until he achieves her love. Unlike the Clayton
version which depicts Gatsby as more self centered and "fishing" for compliments. The book
symbolizes how Gatsby acts according to the American Dream. The fact that the "Americans
Dream" means that American as a whole won't give up on what we set out eyes on. We will
continue to conquest until we have achieved what we wanted. This is who Gatsby is, everything
he does is for Daisy. Gatsby is not complete until daisy is with him and she had confessed her
love towards him. This is the "American Dream"
The Great Gatsby is one of the best films of all time. The portrayal of the 1920s and the
exotic love story between a young tycoon and a married woman is both exciting and interesting.
It is clearly shown that the Luhrmann version best depicts what is described in the book. Baz
Luhrmann does an excellent job at capturing the characters, settings, and themes of the Great
Gatsby and what it was intended to be. The actions and tragic death of Gatsby himself continue
to puzzle literature and intrigue readers. The Great Gatsby is much more than just a love story. It
is a depiction of America itself.