The Great Gatsby

This blog is based on The Great Gatsby and this task was assigned by Dilip Barad sir.

The book cover of The Great Gatsby, known as "Celestial Eyes" by Francis Cugat, is deeply symbolic and intricately tied to the novel’s themes.

Symbolic Significance of the Cover

1. Dark Blue Background

   • Sadness and Cynicism: The deep blue color reflects Gatsby’s loneliness and despair. Despite his grand parties and wealth, he remains emotionally empty due to his unattainable dream of rekindling his love with Daisy Buchanan.
   • Tragic American Dream: The dark blue also signifies the disillusionment of the American Dream, illustrating how Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of status ultimately leads to his downfall.
   • Mystery and Intrigue: The color adds an air of secrecy, aligning with the novel’s themes of hidden desires, deception, and moral ambiguity.

2. Disembodied Eyes

   • The haunting eyes are often linked to multiple interpretations:
     • God’s Watchful Presence – Suggesting a higher moral force observing the decadence and corruption of the characters.
     • Dr. T.J. Eckleburg’s Billboard Eyes – Symbolizing the emptiness and moral decay of society, especially in the Valley of Ashes.
     • Judgment of Society – The eyes act as a silent observer of Gatsby and Daisy’s doomed affair, as well as the broader corruption of the American elite.

3. The Green Light

   • The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is central to the novel’s symbolism. It represents Gatsby’s unfulfilled dreams, particularly his idealized love for Daisy and his longing for a past that can never be reclaimed.
   • It also embodies the false promises of the American Dream—always just out of reach.

4. City Lights in the Background

• These lights symbolize the allure of material success and social status, which Gatsby chases fervently.
• However, they also highlight the superficiality and emptiness of wealth, as Gatsby's riches fail to bring him genuine happiness.

J. Gatsby and Psychoanalytical Study

Jay Gatsby, the enigmatic protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," is a multifaceted character whose life and actions offer a deep well for psychoanalytic exploration. Born James Gatz in North Dakota, Gatsby reinvents himself, amassing wealth and throwing lavish parties in West Egg, all in a bid to reclaim his past love, Daisy Buchanan. This relentless pursuit of an idealized past and unattainable future reveals layers of shame, guilt, and grief that define his existence.

Shame and Identity

Gatsby's transformation from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby signifies a profound sense of shame about his humble beginnings. He meticulously constructs a new persona, distancing himself from his past to fit into the affluent society he yearns to be part of. This self-reinvention is not merely about acquiring wealth but also about erasing a past he deems unworthy, highlighting an internalized shame that drives his actions.

Guilt and Moral Ambiguity

To achieve his grandiose dreams, Gatsby engages in morally dubious activities, including bootlegging and associating with criminals. While these actions facilitate his rise to wealth, they also suggest an underlying guilt. His willingness to compromise ethical standards for personal gain indicates a complex relationship with guilt, where the end justifies the means, yet leaves an indelible mark on his conscience.

Grief and the Idealized Past

Gatsby's fixation on Daisy represents a deep-seated grief for a lost ideal. His opulent parties and extravagant lifestyle are attempts to fill the void left by Daisy's absence and to recreate a past that can never be reclaimed. This persistent longing for an idealized love and time reflects a profound grief, as he is perpetually mourning the loss of a dream that reality cannot fulfill.

Psychoanalytic Perspective

From a psychoanalytic standpoint, Gatsby's behaviors can be seen as defense mechanisms against his overwhelming feelings of shame, guilt, and grief. His grandiose displays of wealth and status serve to mask his deep-seated insecurities and unworthiness. Moreover, his denial of reality and clinging to an unattainable ideal illustrate a refusal to confront his internal conflicts, ultimately leading to his tragic downfall.

In essence, Jay Gatsby's character is a poignant study of how unresolved emotions and the relentless pursuit of an idealized self can lead to one's undoing. His life serves as a testament to the destructive power of shame, guilt, and grief when left unaddressed, offering a timeless reflection on the human condition.

How Faithful is Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby to the Original Novel?

Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby takes several creative liberties with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel while maintaining the essence of its plot and themes. Below, we explore key differences and similarities between the book and the movie.

The Frame Story

One of Luhrmann’s major departures is the addition of a frame story, in which Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) recounts his experiences from a sanitarium, diagnosed as “morbidly alcoholic.” While Fitzgerald’s Nick does refer to Gatsby as “the man who gives his name to this book,” Luhrmann extends this idea, visually depicting Nick writing, typing, and compiling his manuscript. The film even shows him titling it first as Gatsby, then adding “The Great” by hand. Luhrmann also suggests that Nick’s claim in the novel of being drunk only twice in his life is a denial, as evidenced by the film’s depiction of him crossing out “once” for “twice” and implying a far greater struggle with alcoholism.

Jordan and Nick

While the film follows the book’s plot faithfully, it omits Nick’s romance with Jordan Baker. In the novel, they become a couple and later break up. The film, however, presents Nick as initially finding Jordan “frightening,” a descriptor absent from the novel. Later, she is whisked away by a male companion, effectively erasing their romantic subplot.

The Apartment Party

A crucial sequence in both the novel and film is the raucous party at the Manhattan apartment Tom Buchanan keeps for his mistress, Myrtle Wilson. The film explicitly shows Tom and Myrtle engaging in loud sex in the bedroom, while Fitzgerald merely implies such activities. Another notable addition in the film is Myrtle’s sister Catherine giving Nick a pill, which is not present in the novel. In the film, Nick wakes up at home, unsure of how he got there, whereas in the book, he regains consciousness in another apartment and takes the early morning train home.

Lunch with Wolfsheim

In Fitzgerald’s novel, Gatsby takes Nick to lunch at a 42nd Street cellar, where he meets Meyer Wolfsheim, a Jewish gangster. The film reimagines this as a hidden speakeasy inside a barber shop, where Nick also encounters the police commissioner and, seemingly, his boss—who may be merged with Tom’s friend Walter Chase, though they are separate characters in the novel. The speakeasy setting also introduces showgirls reminiscent of Josephine Baker, a detail absent from the book.

The theme of 'The American Dream' and 'Class Conflict'

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby explores the themes of the American Dream and class conflict, illustrating the tension between aspiration and social hierarchy.

The American Dream

The novel presents the American Dream as a vision of success, wealth, and self-reinvention. Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, embodies this dream, rising from humble beginnings to immense wealth in pursuit of his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. However, Gatsby’s downfall highlights the illusion of the dream—despite acquiring riches, he remains an outsider in the elite world of old money. His dream of recapturing the past proves futile, emphasizing the novel’s critique of material success as a hollow pursuit.

Point connected to the American Dream: The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s unattainable dream and the broader illusion of the American Dream. It represents hope and ambition but remains perpetually out of reach, reinforcing the idea that the dream is often an illusion.

Class Conflict

Fitzgerald also explores class divisions through the contrast between East Egg (old money) and West Egg (new money). While Gatsby amasses wealth, he is never fully accepted by the aristocratic elite, represented by Tom Buchanan, who views him as inferior. The Valley of Ashes, home to struggling characters like George Wilson, further illustrates the stark divide between the wealthy and the working class. Ultimately, Gatsby’s tragic fate underscores how rigid social structures prevent true mobility, contradicting the ideals of the American Dream.

Through its portrayal of ambition, wealth, and social divisions, The Great Gatsby exposes the flaws in the American Dream and the enduring nature of class conflict in society.

Conclusion : 

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby explores ambition, illusion, and societal decay through rich symbolism, character psychology, and critiques of the American Dream and class divisions. The iconic Celestial Eyes cover reflects Gatsby’s loneliness, unfulfilled dreams, and moral decline. A tragic figure, Gatsby is driven by shame, guilt, and an unattainable past, leading to his downfall. Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation stays faithful to the novel’s themes but adds creative deviations, heightening its spectacle while altering its subtleties. The novel deconstructs the American Dream, revealing its contradictions—Gatsby’s wealth cannot bring happiness or social acceptance, and rigid class divides shatter the illusion of mobility. Ultimately, The Great Gatsby is a timeless critique of ambition and social stratification, proving that wealth cannot rewrite the past, love cannot be manufactured, and dreams often remain out of reach. Its enduring symbolism and tragic narrative continue to resonate, exposing the illusions that shape our lives.

References : 

 Ruggieri, Colleen A. “‘The Great Gatsby’ and the Cacophony of the American Dream.” The English Journal, vol. 97, no. 3, 2008, pp. 109–109. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30046842. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.

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https://youtu.be/mId34ZoOilAhttps://youtu.be/GpIACiqi7A4https://www.slideshare.net/dilipbarad/the-great-gatsby-novel-and-film-adaptation