One of the greatest questions in the literary world is “Is the book or the movie better?” Let’s decide this for the case of The Great Gatsby. Even thought the novel is one of America’s greatest, it was definitely not an instant success. In fact, it took until World War II for it to become well know.
The book is told from the viewpoint of Nick Carraway. The book is actually being told two years after the instances being relayed. This is different from the movie. When the movie starts, Nick is in some sort of institution getting treated for what seems to be depression and alcoholism. His doctor is telling him to write about his story to help him get out of his funk. The whole movie is then told from the institution.
Another big difference is found in the characters; specifically in Jordan Baker. In the book we are able to learn quite a bit about Jordan; we know she is dishonest, a cheater, has some sort of romance with Nick, and many other things. In the book, Jordans character is almost unlikable to a point. In the movie, we barley dive into Jordan’s character. Nick and her do not have any sort of romance and she is basically a blank canvas. To me, Jordan is more likeable in the movie than the book.
Another character that is different between the books and the movies is Daisy. In the books Daisy has a certain charm about her, but she does not care what her actions do to the people around her. In the movie, she acts like a victim. Instead of just being careless, she almost seems to just be thoughtless. Daisy’s character in the movie does not have that spark that the readers find in the book.
Tom also has some difference between the book and the movie. In the book, Tom is an unlikeable guy. He cheats on his wife, throws Gatsby under the bus, and does not seem to have any remorse, but he still seems to be human. In the movie, Tom seems like a ruthless villain by the end. He makes Gatsby out to seem like a ruthless murderer giving Wilson almost no choice but to revenge his wifes death. While Tom is not likable in either forms of The Great Gatsby, I think he is more humanless in the movie.
Now a character that I think is extremely well done in both the book and the moive is Jay Gatsby. Leonardo DiCaprio is the definition of The Great Gatsby. He gives off the same charm and charisma that readers and viewers both have know to love. Gatsby is the hopeless romantic in both forms of media and everyone can love him and feel for his situation. While I think both versions of The Great Gatsby are well done, there is only one true winner in my heart and that is the book. Nothing can beat the timeless classic that Fitzgerald wrote. The detail of the characters and the many different ways the novel can be interpreted make it the clear winner in my eyes.