The Great Gatsby

All Americans have heard at one time or another about the Great Gatsby. It is commonly used to teach the American Dream to students and give people a sense of life during the roaring 20s. The movie and book are filled with many similarities but also include many differences as well. 

To start out, in the book and movie are different when it comes to Jordan and Nick's relationship. They seem to be inseparable in the book. While I was reading the book, I felt like Jordan and Nick had a believable connection that added to the whole love atmosphere in the book. For example, multiple times Jordan and Nick go out on dates and Nick describes them and includes dialogue for what is said on those dates. At one point, the reader learns about Jordan's take on being a bad driver. On the other hand, in the movie, not once did I ever sense a connection between Jordan and Nick. I simply saw them as friends of Daisy and nothing more. They never once went on dates and when they talked it never seemed like they were more than friends. Another difference between the movie and the book is the choice of music. This book is written in the 1920s when the Harlem Renaissance and Charleston were very big. In the movie, it seems like it is set in more modern times. They used some old songs with a modern twist to them or other songs that recently had come out but still have that 1920s feel to them. This was an interesting choice by the producer, but I think it was smart in the end to give the movie and commonly known book a little bit of a change and to fit the time period. 

The movie and book are also very similar. The main similarity between the two is the mentioning of several symbols that add to the themes in the movie and book and the overall idea of the American Dream. One symbol that is clearly shown and mentioned is the green light on Daisy's dock. This symbol represents optimism for Gatsby and his dream to repeat the past with Daisy. The scenes that involve the light in the movie often don't involve much more than the light itself, this shows that it is very important. In the book, the light is also singled out and described in a very detailed way so that the reader recognizes the importance of it. Another aspect of the movie and book that was the same is the sense of color in different scenes. The parties at Gatsby's included tons of glitter and bright colors which represented more symbols of wealth. In the book, the parties are described using color too and tons of description of the amount of wealth that was at the parties. Then in the movie and book when the characters leave West Egg, color is no longer a thing. Everything is described as dull and presented in blacks, grays and browns. 

Overall, there are a lot of similarities as well as differences in the movie and book that add to overall presentation and perception of the movie and book.