The flashback to Gatsby’s past with Dan Cody holds immense significance, as it gives background information and develops Gatsby as a character. Gatsby discloses his past to Nick, focusing on the great influence of millionaire Dan Cody on his life. Predominantly, the scene highlights Gatsby's key attributes to his success. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of the novel, numerous literary and cinematic techniques are implemented to convey patience and diligence are crucial in successfully fulfilling one’s desires.
For a start, Fitzgerald utilizes allusion to characterize young Gatsby through the flashback of Dan Cody, while medium shots of Gatsby are used in Luhrmann’s production. After Gatsby saves …show more content…
As a young man, Gatsby upholds the same ideology as Plato, as he is determined to become the perfect individual and obtain lots of wealth. Though he grew up in poverty, the reference to Plato emphasizes Gatsby’s ambition to attain his goals and become the person the wants to be, but nothing can ever be truly perfect, revealing Gatsby’s extremely high expectations. As evident through Gatsby’s transition to the upper class, society must aspire and work hard in order to attain its dreams. Although setting unrealistic goals will lead to dissatisfaction, investing time and hard work will often result in positive outcomes in life. Similarly, Luhrmann uses medium shots of Gatsby’s face during his flashback of Dan Cody to reveal his dedication towards his goal. The medium shots convey Gatsby’s feelings as a young individual, which transition from emotions of entrapment to determination. At first, Gatsby is portrayed as a child staring hopelessly into the corner of a dark ash-covered room, revealing Gatsby’s feelings of imprisonment in the lower class. However, as the scene develops into the medium shot of Gatsby looking …show more content…
After Dan Cody arrives on the shore of Lake Superior, Gatsby looks up to Cody’s yacht which represented “all the beauty and glamour” young Gatz had ever seen (Fitzgerald 100). The yacht represents not only a portion of the glamour and wealth of what Dan Cody possesses, but also a portion of the all the wealth in the world. Gatsby views the yacht to be the pinnacle of all wealth found in the world, making the yacht his initial goal of wealth. This desire of the yacht enables Gatsby to set high expectations for himself, later allowing him to attain the expected and ideal image of himself, thus revealing one’s ambition and determination can drive one to ultimately satisfy their desires. Luhrmann on the other hand uses symbolism to reveal the next chapter of Gatsby's life. The parting of the clouds is symbolic of a new start for Gatsby. Through Dan Cody, Gatsby sees his opportunity to escape his current life of poverty and acquire wealth, status, and proper manners. Gatsby seizes and takes advantage of the opportunity handed to him in order to attain his ideal vision of himself as a successful person, although he risks leaving his family and friends behind in the “Valley of Ashes,” revealing that one must take risks in order to attain their
For a start, Fitzgerald utilizes allusion to characterize young Gatsby through the flashback of Dan Cody, while medium shots of Gatsby are used in Luhrmann’s production. After Gatsby saves …show more content…
As a young man, Gatsby upholds the same ideology as Plato, as he is determined to become the perfect individual and obtain lots of wealth. Though he grew up in poverty, the reference to Plato emphasizes Gatsby’s ambition to attain his goals and become the person the wants to be, but nothing can ever be truly perfect, revealing Gatsby’s extremely high expectations. As evident through Gatsby’s transition to the upper class, society must aspire and work hard in order to attain its dreams. Although setting unrealistic goals will lead to dissatisfaction, investing time and hard work will often result in positive outcomes in life. Similarly, Luhrmann uses medium shots of Gatsby’s face during his flashback of Dan Cody to reveal his dedication towards his goal. The medium shots convey Gatsby’s feelings as a young individual, which transition from emotions of entrapment to determination. At first, Gatsby is portrayed as a child staring hopelessly into the corner of a dark ash-covered room, revealing Gatsby’s feelings of imprisonment in the lower class. However, as the scene develops into the medium shot of Gatsby looking …show more content…
After Dan Cody arrives on the shore of Lake Superior, Gatsby looks up to Cody’s yacht which represented “all the beauty and glamour” young Gatz had ever seen (Fitzgerald 100). The yacht represents not only a portion of the glamour and wealth of what Dan Cody possesses, but also a portion of the all the wealth in the world. Gatsby views the yacht to be the pinnacle of all wealth found in the world, making the yacht his initial goal of wealth. This desire of the yacht enables Gatsby to set high expectations for himself, later allowing him to attain the expected and ideal image of himself, thus revealing one’s ambition and determination can drive one to ultimately satisfy their desires. Luhrmann on the other hand uses symbolism to reveal the next chapter of Gatsby's life. The parting of the clouds is symbolic of a new start for Gatsby. Through Dan Cody, Gatsby sees his opportunity to escape his current life of poverty and acquire wealth, status, and proper manners. Gatsby seizes and takes advantage of the opportunity handed to him in order to attain his ideal vision of himself as a successful person, although he risks leaving his family and friends behind in the “Valley of Ashes,” revealing that one must take risks in order to attain their