Most people recommend that one reads the book before the movie because the movie never gives the book justice; however, I did things backwards. I happened to watch The Great Gatsby before reading the book in class, and my perception from the movie was quite different from what I interpreted while reading the novel.
Throughout the movie, I was rooting for Gatsby, hoping he would be able to win over Daisy in the end. It only seemed right. After all, they had never truly stopped loving each other -- at least that's the way Gatsby portrayed things. While reading the book though, the way Gatsby went about things rubbed me the wrong way; it seemed a bit creepy. Just think about it...Gatsby bought a house across the Sound to be able to keep an eye on Daisy, he threw huge parties only hoping she would show up, he knew Nick was her cousin, and he seemed to know everything about her life. Its a bit stalker-like if you ask me.
For some reason, I did not catch this vibe from the movie -- it seemed normal and right. In the movie I thought Tom was the one holding Daisy back because she feared what might have happened if she left him, but after reading the book I knew that was not the case. Daisy was selfish and careless not because of Tom's influence, but because that is the kind of person she has turned out to be. ¨They were careless people, Tom and Daisy -- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made...¨ is exactly how I would describe Daisy by the end of the book.
The book gives both Daisy and Gatsby a bad name. They go about things all in the wrong way and pay for it in the end.
