“Gatsby, the ‘mythic’ embodiment of the American dream, is shown to us in all his immature romanticism. His insecure grasp of social and human values, his lack of critical intelligence and self-knowledge, his blindness to the pitfalls that surround him in American society, his compulsive optimism, are realized in the text with rare assurance and understanding. And yet the very grounding of these deficiencies is Gatsby's goodness and faith in life, his compelling desire to realize all the possibilities of existence...” (36)
Based on this analysis, Gatsby’s character represents more than just a man of wealth. His personality is symbolic of Fitzgerald’s ambitions …show more content…
Themes such as the duality of human beings as well as fantasy versus reality are presented inconspicuously in his book, but are there nevertheless. Literary critic John Kuehl analyzes the author’s use of themes, and states that “[Fitzgerald] insists that his lesson be presented unobtrusively. Of Dan's new resemblance to Bradogue, he says: ‘This must be subtly done and not look too much like a parable or moral lesson…’”(14). He wanted his lessons to be accounted for, though not obvious. Baz Luhrmann kept this in mind when creating the 2013 movie production. In the Dicaprio version, all of the key messages are present, even if the audience has to seek them out. For example, the newer film includes several explicit scenes, the same scenes that led to the banning of the book in many schools. One of these scenes includes Tom, Nick, and Tom’s mistress, Myrtle, going to a party in New York. This clip of the 2013 movie presents obvious sexual references as well as drinking. While simply appearing as conduct at a party, such scenes are, in truth, small glimpses at a larger theme. These scenes are excluded from the 1974 adaptation, and therefore eliminate the idea of censorship completely. There are no truly explicit ideas conveyed in the older movie, the same ones that made The Great Gatsby popular, and are left out. By including such uncensored scenes, the 2013 version leaves the original …show more content…
Fitzgerald was a writer that included recurring symbols, specifically flowers, throughout the entire story. One major example, as witnessed in the 2013 production, is the meeting between Gatsby and Daisy for the first time in years at Nick’s home. Flowers flooded the room, highlighting the symbol initially depicted throughout the novel to illustrate love and romance. During this same meeting, both rain and sunshine act as forms of weather with an elevated meaning. In the novel, Gatsby stands soaked outside of Nick’s door as he re-enters with apparent nerves. Rain typically represents cleansing or growth, foreshadowing the blooming of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. When the rain stopped, all of Gatsby’s nerves had been washed away. These details may seem unimportant, but the producers of the 2013 Gatsby understood that they had an impact on the overall story and therefore included them in the movie