While reading “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader often wonders what decisions went into the production of the novel. The vague and poetic language seems almost intentional in how it weaves throughout the book. In contrast, when watching the film, however, the audience finds itself with a transparent and connected cast of characters, and the intentional mist of nuance is lost in translation. The Great Gatsby is great because of its poetic and elusive characterisation and detailed exploration of the extremities of the human condition, although lacking in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film adaptation of the book.

“On an autumn night, 5 years before”(Fitzgerald 110), the main plot of the novel, Daisy and Gatsby, was walking down a street where the sidewalk was “white with moonlight”(110). There were “no trees”, which allowed the moon's radiance to illuminate the pavement, creating a spotlight effect for the lovers. Gatsby gazed “out of the corner of his eye”(110) and noticed “the blocks of the sidewalk formed a ladder”(110) that led to a “secret place above the trees”(110). Gatsby was tempted to climb alone and drink the sweet nectar of life, but it meant he would be alone in his ascent to greatness. In this passage, Fitzgerald's poetic language is particularly striking, as he employs vivid imagery and metaphorical language to convey the depth of Gatsby's emotions.

The ladder leading to a secret place above the trees is a metaphor for the heights of success and ambition that Gatsby aspires to be, and the “pap of life” represents the ultimate fulfilment he seeks. However, in the end, Gatsby chooses love over power, recognising that it is the only thing that truly matters. Gatsby faced a dilemma; he could kiss Daisy, the woman of his dreams, or reach for unlimited power, but he could not do both. He chose to kiss Daisy, and the moment their lips met, “ she blossomed for him like a flower, and the incarnation was complete”(110). Fitzgerald’s poetic language creates a dreamscape of romanticism and performance. This atmosphere of love attracts readers into a world of luxury and extravagance. The kiss is crucial to Gatsby’s transformation; his life would have been radically different without it. The romantic and sensual description of the kiss captures the intensity of Gatsby’s emotions and his deep desire for Daisy. It showcases the power of love to transform and inspire, even in the face of wealth and ambition. This passage also highlights the differences between the novel and the film adaptation. The book showcases the importance of the kiss and its ability to transform, but the movie leaves out the whole scene, and the audience is left to interpret the consequences of meeting Daisy and how it changed Gatsby’s life. Overall, this passage is a beautiful and evocative description of a moonlit night and the overwhelming power of love over ambition.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” characters are intentionally non-descript and elusive. Gatsby’s motivations are mysterious, and his character is difficult to discern. Nick describes his smile as “rare” and possessing a “quality of eternal reassurance”(48). This suggests that Gatsby is a man who has a certain charisma that is not common, and his smile has a powerful effect on those around him. The description also suggests that a smile can make people feel understood and accepted, further adding to Gatsby’s allure.

Another example is Daisy Buchanon. Nick describes Daisy as “sad and lovely with bright things in it”(9), a characterisation that offers little to no description of either Daisy’s character or physical appearance. The book ties in with the disillusionment of the era by avoiding easily defined descriptions of the characters. This creates a hazy cast over the faces of the characters in the readers' minds. This intentional lack of definition represents the wealthy's lack of publicity and the illusions and facades of the roaring twenties. This effect is necessary as it brings to light the falsified personalities of the wealthy; as we cannot discern their features, we resort to their actions. Fitzgerald is wholly intentional in this process. Without the faces of the characters to focus on, Fitzgerald can use their actions to show the message of corruption. However, the movie adaptation does not transfer this unease about the characters, as they are crystal clear in dialogue, environment, and stature. For example, Tom Buchanon's face is never described in the book but is incredibly distinct in the movie. Overall, the non-descript characterisation of the characters in "The Great Gatsby" is intentional and adds to the story's theme of disillusionment. By creating enigmatic characters, the book highlights that things are not always what they seem, particularly in the world of the wealthy during the roaring twenties. Unfortunately, the movie adaptation loses some of this effect by providing precise and defined visuals of the characters, diminishing their enigmatic qualities.

The Great Gatsby is a novel that explores the human condition, particularly the mind of Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby's love for Daisy as something that “forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, causing his mind to never romp again like the mind of God”(110). Before he met Daisy, Gatsby’s mind was limitless, virtually unending. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s change in mindset to show what it truly means to live with the mind of a god. Gatsby's intense desire, longing for Daisy, and obsession with his social status and power are prominent themes throughout the novel. Gatsby's parties are a manifestation of this obsession, and they symbolise the excesses of the Jazz Age. The novel also shows how these themes intersect and impact the characters' lives. Gatsby's pursuit of the American Dream ultimately leads to his downfall, as he becomes entangled in illegal activities to achieve his goals.

Similarly, Daisy's obsession with wealth and status leads her to make choices that ultimately lead to tragedy. Moreover, the novel highlights the corrupt nature of the upper classes, willing to engage in immoral and illegal activities to maintain their social status and wealth. Gatsby's parties and his association with the shady characters of the underworld represent this moral decay and the era's excesses. In the film adaptation, Nick notices how wealth and power influence the decisions of the characters around him but makes no distinction of it verbally. In fact, in the movie, he unknowingly indulges in some of the practices of the wealthy.

In contrast, in the book, Nick notices they “were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated into their money” (137). In the film adaptation, Nick never achieves this conclusion; instead, he notices that since they have left, their marriage has been more assertive. As a result, the movie's audience never fully notices these direct differences in the novel. To add insult to injury, the film director, Baz Luhrmann, placed Nick as a patient at a mental institution, recounting the story. While this detail feels relatively minuscule under little scrutiny, it is more problematic than it seems. The setting in which the story is “written” is at a different time, in a different place, almost discrediting the story further. The film audience cannot be captivated by the extremes of human society in the same way that the book captured the audience. Fitzgerald's evocative prose and vivid portrayal of the Jazz Age make The Great Gatsby a timeless classic that resonates with readers even today.

In conclusion, The Great Gatsby is a novel that delves deep into the human condition, exploring themes of love, desire, wealth, power, illusion versus reality, and the dark underbelly of the American Dream. 

Overall, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is great because of its poetic and elusive characterisation and detailed exploration of the extremities of the human condition. The novel speaks to its audience about the transformative power of love, the groundbreaking capacity of the human mind, and the falsities of the early 1920s. These ideals are still appropriate today, visible in the behaviours of the uber-wealthy. Despite critiquing the “American Dream”, “The Great Gatsby” shows the reader what humanity can be capable of without limits. The novel focuses more on the downsides and immorality of the wealthy. The movie makes it such that these nuances are lost in the adaptation, making it difficult for the audience to pick up on the story's underlying themes. Perhaps, if Luhrmann could create a more emotionally disorienting interpretation of the characters, the film would have retained some of the charm and prose the novel is filled with. Alas, no solution to this problem comes to fruition at any point during the movie, but it could have been possible.