The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1300 Words

It is quite common nowadays that classic pieces of literature are transformed into movies. Oftentimes these movies are considered to be not as enjoyable to view as the book, one such case is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; a classic novel that gives us a glimpse into the vivacious 1920s. The story begins with Nick Carraway (the narrator) explaining the backstory of his life. He lives in a fictional town on Long Island, named West Egg, across the bay from his cousin Daisy Buchanan and next to a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, whom he rarely sees. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, a hypocritical and arrogant man of old money. Gatsby on the other hand is an idealistic man of new money, who became wealthy through bootlegging. He is†¦show more content†¦Ultimately, the book is of higher quality and more accurately mirrors the roaring 20s. To begin, both the film and novel portray symbolism. One of the most important symbols being the green light; a light that is on the edge of Daisy’s dock, that can be seen from across the bay. This light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams that he has for the future, and the love he has for Daisy. For Gatsby, the light is infuriatingly close for such a distant goal , and he feels as though he can grasp it and obtain a life with Daisy, which he has been desiring for so long. Luhrmann’s film kept to the book in how it portrays the green light as an important symbol. The film even begins with a shot over the water, and the light from Daisy’s dock is shown. The most important scene in the film involving the green light is when Nick looks out his window and sees Gatsby standing at the edge of his dock. Gatsby appears to be reaching out his arm toward Daisy’s house, and seems to be grasping for the light, as if reaching for Daisy, whom he loves and yearns for. Similarly, the green light is mentioned on several occasions, throughout the novel. In a scene similar to the film Nick sees Gatsby outside, standing on the dock and says â€Å"He[Gatsby] stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I swear I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I