Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby: How Differences between the Movie and the Book Affect Relationships

The story of the Great Gatsby is one that is built entirely on the relationships between characters and how the strengthening or crumbling of the levels of trust between them dictates their actions. One relationship that often gets overlooked however is the one between the narrator, Nick Carraway, and the reader. In the novel, Nick tells the story from his memory and we perceive the events through his eyes. Film adaptations, while they still might contain the narration, naturally show the events happening from a third person point of view. This difference results in diluted story lines, specifically the recurring theme of the distortion of the truth and trust. The Great Gatsby makes for a better novel is because the cinematic adaptations eliminate one of the most important relationships between the narrator and reader.

The differences in narration are seen immediately between F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel and Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film adaptation. The book starts with Nick describing himself as someone who is “inclined to reserve all judgments” (1). Nick’s story is one of a bright-eyed “Middle Western” army vet who heads East in search of something bigger. Nick tells us how he was raised and how others confided in him. He also points out the reality of human nature in that while he sees himself as a trustworthy man, he has a limit in giving people the benefit of the doubt; his “infinite hope” (2) is not boundless. This candid monologue is a strong first step in the reader developing an affinity for and a relationship with Nick because we believe him to be honest, especially when recognizes his reactions and emotions may contradict how he was raised or what he believes in. In a sense, Nick is a relatable character that appeals to our desires to be good people while realizing we aren’t perfect. The movie begins with multiple misquotes from the book, but more importantly, Nick...