The Great Gatsby Essay: Compare and Contrast

Have you ever pretended to be another person just so you could get what you want? If that’s the case you aren’t the only one, Jay Gatsby is an obsessed character who fits this perfect stereotype. Scott Fitzgerald wrote this book in April 1924. The Great Gatsby keeps you on your toes as you keep reading and as you watch the movie you won’t want to blink.  In The Great Gatsby, there were many similarities and a few details that were different between the movie and the book. 

The book and the movie are the same when it comes to the character, Tom.  He comes from a very rich family and expects everything to be handed to him. He has one possession and that is his wife Daisy. Tom is the same hypocrite throughout the book and the movie, he cheats on his with Myrtle Wilson. When Tom finds out he becomes agitated that Daisy would even think about loving another man. Despite Daisy’s cheating, Tom thinks he can still have an affair with Myrtle and have no consequence. 

Have you ever thought about growing old and wondering how you live the last moments of your life? In the book of The Great Gatsby Jay decided to take a swim in his pool before they drained it. Gatsby floated on his floatie and waited for Daisy to finally call. Although she never did, or at least Gatsby never got the chance to know. In the movie of The Great Gatsby Jay decides to take a dip before the pool is drained, just like the book. Although, as he comes up for a breath, he hears the phone ring. At least, he thinks Daisy is calling to tell Gatsby she left Tom. Instead, it was Nick, not Daisy. In the book, Gatsby just simply died, but in the movie, he thought he died as a winner. This is one example of a plot difference between the book and the movie.

In comparing the setting and the plot, they remain the same . In the novel of The Great Gatsby the setting is East Egg and West Egg. Tom and Daisy both live in East Egg while Nick and Gatsby live in West Egg. The plot is mainly the same throughout both the book and the movie. If you look at the plot it’s about Gatsby finding Daisy, then trying to convince her to leave Tom. The climax would be Gatsby telling Tom that Daisy never loved him and how she wants to be with Gatsby.

The falling action would be Gatsby dying and not winning over Daisy. Whereas a major difference between the setting was the Valley of the Ashes. In the book, the Valley of the Ashes was only described as a place where Myrtle and George Wilson lived. In the movie, it showed a dirty place with factories, mine workers, and filthy buildings. The difference between the Valley of the Ashes is quite significant. 

In conclusion, The Great Gatsby has many similarities and a few tiny differences between the book and the movie. Both the characters and setting have a big impact even though the story varies. This can change the way the whole movie is projected. Using these characters can make the reader or watcher realize the true meaning of “The American Dream.” If you were in the same situation as Daisy, what would you do?