The Great Gatsby Book Vs Movie Essay

The slightest of changes can alter a meaning drastically. The film adaptation of the novel The Great Gatsby reshapes the significance of the moments right before Gatsby’s death, the omittance of Gatsby’s father from the funeral, and the future of Nick Carraway. These contrasts create differing viewpoints of the lives of Gatsby and Nick and of the personalities of the two characters themselves.
First of all, the film adaptation includes a scene at the end that is not originally part of the written novel. The scene is of Gatsby in his pool when the phone rings and one of Gatsby’s servants picks up the call. The servant speaks to the caller using phrases such as “I know Mr. Gatsby would be very happy that you called,” (Fisher & Luhrmann, 2013) …show more content…
Following the death of Gatsby is his funeral. In the book Gatsby’s father and a man characterized by his “owl-eyed glasses” join Nick Carraway. These two characters who accompany Nick at the funeral are completely omitted from the film for the sake of time. In the film Nick is the only person who is there for Gatsby during his funeral. The movie reiterates the lack of true sentiment the other characters have for Gatsby. Only a few people attend his funeral in both the book and the film despite the extravagant parties he threw in his mansion. In addition, the exclusion of Gatsby’s father and the man with owl-eyed glasses from the movie further deepens the extent of Gatsby’s loneliness during his life. The absence of Gatsby’s father at the funeral also leaves out the idea that Gatsby has at minimum support and love from his family. Other than Gatsby, the film adaption also alters the future of Nick Carraway. Based on the book, Nick moves back to the Midwest after reflecting on the events of the past summer and realizing the corruption and unpleasantness of the East. On the other hand, Nick appears to develop alcohol issues at the end of his New York experience in the film. One scene

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