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Analysis Of The Book And The Great Gatsby

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a novel that highlights the stark contrast between the rich elites of East Egg and the dirt-poor ashen people of the Valley of Ashes through the reckless power that the wealthy of this world can exert on the unfortunate. As concluded by Nick in the novel, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness [...] and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald, 179). By thoroughly examining the thoughtless actions of Daisy and Tom Buchanan and their consequences, Baz Luhrmann's rendition of The Great Gatsby portrays the carelessness of the elites more effectively than the novel. Through the inclusion of additional scenes and the omission of some, Baz Luhrmann conveys the utter disregard that Tom and Daisy posses towards other characters in the novel. Both the book and the movie initially paint Daisy Buchanan as the innocent, beautiful little fool through their associations of beauty, light and purity with the character. However, as more of Daisy’s character is revealed, her selfish, shallow and thoughtless nature is displayed through her reckless actions and she proves herself to be like all the other conceited and careless elites of East Egg. While the movie and the book both stay true to this characterization of Daisy, the movie includes a scene between Gatsby and Daisy at one of Gatsby’s party which Tom, Nick and

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