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.
Gatsby definitely can be classified by modern standards as a stalker. I mean, he watched her house from across the bay almost every night! However, I agree with you that the film made his choice to win Daisy back almost heroic; this was evident in the novel too although not as easy to see. I think the reason Gatsby seems more charming in the film is because of how emotionally DiCaprio portrays Gatsby. He looks at Daisy with only love and appears to be an awkward teen when meeting Daisy for tea. How can you not be rooting for those two crazy kids to get back together?
ReplyDeleteHey Chlo! I also watched the movie before the book and felt the same way. It seemed like Gatsby was just a normal guy who cared so much about Daisy when in the book I also sensed a bit of creepiness. I felt the same way about Tom as you. He seemed very controlling and seemed like the one who was over possessive of Daisy. I think a part of this could relate back to the fact that Tom having a mistress isn’t as obvious in the movie as it is in the book. We get lots of details about Tom and Myrtle in the book and the scenes in the movie don’t give as much description so the viewer struggles to make the connects as fast as they are made in the book. Lastly, I agree with your ending statement. Daisy and Gatsby are both looked at as bad people in the end of the book when in the movie I still was rooting for Gatsby to achieve his dream and live the rest of his life with Daisy.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, I would have to say that I really liked how you described Daisy being portrayed in the movie versus how she was in the book. I think you were able to express what you thought in such a way that made it very understandable. I agree with the fact that both Tom and Daisy were seen as greedy human beings in the book and thought of only themselves in many instances. I also found that I liked the movie better than book due to some of the reasons you spoke about as well as some others. Overall, I agreed with everything you said and believe you had some really good statements.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your thoughts, Chloe! I thought you had several unique ideas of which I hadn't thought prior to reading this. The book and the movie do show Gatsby in different lights. The movie glorifies Gatsby a great amount, allowing the audience his side more readily. Maybe it is the wealth of background information we receive in the book that allows us to be more critical of Gatsby in the book. Regardless of who Gatsby truly is, your quote about Daisy sums up the type of person she had come to be. It almost seemed Gatsby and Daisy would have driven into the sunset had Daisy not changed from when they were first together, but the person Daisy had come to be simply couldn't allow that. Well done, Chloe!
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