Character Changes In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby, which was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published in 1925. In 2013, Australian director, Baz Luhrmann adapted the novel into a film. Both the novel and the film take place in the summer of 1922. The plot follows the lives of Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Nick Carraway, and Jay Gatsby. Nick Carraway is the cousin of Daisy Buchanan, who is a rich woman that comes from a rich family. Long before meeting her husband, Tom, Daisy was smitten with a man, Jay Gatsby. Back in this time period, women who came from money married men who also came from money. Shortly after meeting, Gatsby was sent off to war, and Daisy chose not to wait for him, and married Tom Buchanan, who came from a wealthy family. Over the next years, Gatsby seeks …show more content…
In The Great Gatsby novel, Daisy Buchanan is described as a beautiful, carefree woman, who loves the attention of others. While she is described to have a carefree personality, she cares enough about her appearance in society. Fitzgerald never gives specific descriptions of Daisy’s physical appearance, but a reader can assume that she embraced the popular look of a 1920’s flapper girl. Coming from a family of old money, wealth and material items are greatly valued by her. Daisy’s character revolves around materialism. She ultimately gives up a true love with Gatsby to marry Tom Buchanan, who give her the materialistic things she desires. One instance in particular would be when she is at Gatsby’s house and he shows her his shirts. She looks at them and says, “[t]hey’re such beautiful shirts…It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before,” (Fitzgerald 92). While this moment is about far more than shirts, it still represents how materialistic things remind her of what she gave up in order to be with Tom. Still, she is an incredibly strong, sophisticated and bold character, who longs to love and be loved in return. In her early years, she falls for a man, Jay Gatsby, who does not come from old money. When Gatsby was sent to war, Daisy decided she could …show more content…
In Fitzgerald’s novel, Tom is the dominant male antagonist. He is married to Daisy Buchanan, but constantly cheats on her with another woman. In the novel, a reader views Daisy as the perfect wife, and it makes Tom that much worse of a character. He is a jerk, who comes across highly ungrateful, racist, and sexist. Fitzgerald portrays Tom in a way that makes it difficult to like and understand him. It does not make sense why Tom would commit adultery when he is married to a wonderful woman. However, in the film, a viewer may be more understanding towards Tom’s adultery. In the apartment party scene, up until the argument between Tom and Myrtle, is an example of why a viewer may feel more sympathetic towards Tom Buchanan. Up until this point, a viewer has not seen a truly romantic connection between Daisy and Tom, and the two do not even seem to enjoy each other’s company. But when Tom is with Myrtle, the two look to be truly happy. They are laughing, smiling, and dancing. Tom seems to be truly enjoying himself, which is something that he does not show when he is around Daisy. The act Tom is committing is still morally wrong, but a viewer may understand why he wants to be with Myrtle. A viewer of the film may still not enjoy Tom Buchanan as a character, but a viewer may be a little more sympathetic towards his actions, and possibly understand why he cheated on Daisy.