Help!

My personal take on the novel is that there are two main themes.Firstly,that the American Dream is an illusion.Daisey symbolises the Old Money blue-blooded elite that Gatsby,the New Money son of recent immigrants, craves to be accepted by .His failure to win her represents his rejection by the Upper Class which the novel suggests,exists just as much as it does in Europe.

The second major theme is that while the Past is always with us in the sense that it affects our present,it is impossible to recapture it as Gatsby attempts to do by seeking to regain his lost love.

I agree with the two major themes in the book, as you have stated them.
I like to see the first theme as an appreciation for Gatsby's audacity rather than something negative. I like to think that he represents the people who strive and believe and work relentlessly to acheive a goal. Regardless of the outcome, what should be remembered by Gatsby is his amazing ability to push on and fight for what he believed in, even if he failed to obtain it in the end. But yes, it can also be viewed as the American Dream ultimately being fruitless. Or that Gatsby was so lost in his pursuit of this dream that he was blinded from the reality and failed to recognize Daisy's superficiality.

Sadly, I feel that the Film version,although beautifuly acted and ravishing to look at,failed to convey any of this from the novel.

In my opinion, films can almost never hold a candle to the books off which they are based. The description and power in the books will almost inevitably get lost in the translation from book to screen. I enjoyed both, but I love the book more.

reply share

add reply

formatting help