• Home Page
  • What Does Strictly Ballroom Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

What Does Strictly Ballroom Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Improved Essays
Show More
Symbolism and characterization are used as key tools in Baz Luhrmann's films, The Great Gatsby and Strictly Ballroom, to enhance the films' intention, plot line and character development. Luhrmann's evolution as a director is clearly illustrated through the increasingly advanced integration and execution of filmic elements when comparing these two films.
In Strictly Ballroom Luhrmann uses costume and props to symbolise Fran's character and her role in the plot. Fran approaches Scott in the dance studio dressed in her typical drab clothes that noticeably contrast with the bright, elaborate costumes of the other girls in the studio. The clothes introduce her as unattractive and reflect the way she is seen by everyone else - as undesirable because …show more content…
The string of pearls Tom gave Daisy is used to represent his wealth, status and the influence he has over Daisy. However, the integration of these symbols in The Great Gatsby is done more skillfully than in Strictly Ballroom and consequently has a greater effect. Daisy's attraction to Tom stems from the security his wealth provides, and the pearls symbolise the type of lifestyle Tom can provide for Daisy. When Daisy receives a letter from Gatsby and rips the pearls from her neck it signifies that this lifestyle is threatened by her love for Gatsby. However, when the pearls are rethreaded and she is seen wearing them on the day she marries Tom, they play a significant role in characterising Daisy. Daisy's acceptance of the pearls reveals her to be inconsistent and materialistic. They act as a symbol of Daisy's choice to fall back into the security and lifestyle Tom provides rather than succumbing to her possibly stronger feelings for …show more content…
The green light not only represents Daisy, but everything Gatsby has ever wished to attain - a perfect life that he could have, if only he could reach it. The green light also serves to characterise Gatsby as the idealistic, hopeful man Nick describes. It represents his relentless desire for self-improvement and will to actualize his hopes of being with Daisy. The focus placed on Gatsby reaching out towards the light on Daisy's dock symbolizes his longing for Daisy and the infinite hope that encapsulates Gatsby. Luhrmann uses the light as a tool to highlight the fatal, yet beautiful nature of Gatsby and his obsession of reuniting with Daisy. By using this more subtle, thought-out symbol, Luhrmann makes it clear that his use of characterization and symbolism extends past just wardrobe and

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Ignorance Is Bliss In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ignorance Is Bliss In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    Tell ‘em all Daisy’s change’ her mine.” Jordan then said, “an hour later when we walked out of the room the pearls were around her neck and the incident was over. Next day she married…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Great Gatsby Dialectical Journal Analysis
    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Dialectical Journal Analysis

    1. “Because I was privy to the griefs of wild, unknown men. Most of the confidences were unsought- frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon.” (pg 1) When I first read this quote I thought that maybe Nick was just talking about some random men that he had met during his time in Long Island, but now I realize one of these “wild” men must have been Gatsby.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Love In The Great Gatsby
    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Love In The Great Gatsby

    This illustrates that Gatsby is succeeding in impressing Daisy because of his wealth. She is clearly awed by his house and his wardrobe, and her excitement is so broad that her first reaction is to dance and show pure happiness. However, impressing someone and winning someone's love are two completely different spectrums, and Gatsby isn't able to lure in Daisy's affection, which causes his dream of a better…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Jim Cullen Pursuit Of Ethics In The American Dream
    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Jim Cullen Pursuit Of Ethics In The American Dream

    In the novel, Gatsby used to look out to a green light where Daisy lived. The significance of the light is that it didn 't symbolize Daisy it symbolized Gatsby desire to have Daisy. Gatsby was also known for throwing these spectacular parties that everyone would come to but, no one really knew the real reason for him throwing the party. The real reason he threw the parties was to catch Daisy’s attention and get her to come to these parties. The thing he was really waiting for was for Daisy to come to a party without Tom so that he could have more alone time with her and “fix” her like he said he would.…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Daisy As A Victim In The Great Gatsby
    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Daisy As A Victim In The Great Gatsby

    Is Daisy Buchanan a victim or victimizer? Jay Gatsby is trying to repeat the past with Daisy Buchanan by rekindling the love they once had and limiting her to her past self. The background of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place after the Women Rights Movement as the Lost Generation. Jay Gatsby is the "American Dream" of the Lost Generation and tries to become worthy of Daisy. He puts her on a pedestal which will end up with him disappointing of her because of his unrealistic expectations.…

    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Green Light In The Great Gatsby Essay
    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Green Light In The Great Gatsby Essay

    The fact that the green light is on Daisy’s dock makes it known that Gatsby is longing for Daisy; the light is the only thing he can make out of her at night, his dream is a mere fantasy still. Nick notes that “Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one”. Gatsby sees the green light as his pursuit of Daisy, so when he and Daisy love each other again, the green light becomes “again a green light on a dock”, because Nick and the reader believe that Gatsby has achieved his goal. “The color green, traditionally associated with youth, vitality, and money, is an excellent one to suggest Daisy” (Savage 307).…

    • 1292 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    The Unattainable Dream In The Great Gatsby By F Scott Fitzgerald
    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Unattainable Dream In The Great Gatsby By F Scott Fitzgerald

    The Unachievable Dream The American Dream is when someone is trying to achieve their lifelong dream. A lot of people dream of completing the American Dream but little to none can complete it. In The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerald makes the American Dream unattainable to most of his characters including Gatsby. The American Dream is unattainable because of all the poor events that have happened to Gatsby. Through negative imagery and diction, Fitzgerald proves that the American Dream is unattainable because of all the harmful events that have happened to Gatsby.…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Great Gatsby Delusion Analysis
    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Great Gatsby Delusion Analysis

    Following a dream and chasing a delusion have an important line between them but if you are incapable of seeing the difference you may end up in a continuous cycle of frustration. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is one of the richest men in West Egg, whose ultimate dream is to reunite with his love from five years ago, Daisy. However in the eyes of the public, she is happily married. In order to get close to her once again, he befriends her cousin Nick, who happens to live right next door. Throughout the novel, one can see all of Gatsby’s attempts to reunite with his true love.…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    What Does The American Dream Symbolize In The Great Gatsby
    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What Does The American Dream Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

    The American Dream In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are different symbols that all tie in to a message about the American Dream. During the rolling 20’s, everyone wants to achieve this American Dream; however, people couldn’t picture the reality. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald puts the American Dream in perspective when mentioning symbols such as, the valley of ashes, love in the 20’s, Gatsby’s anonymous parties, the green light from the light house that shined across the sound, and the billboard advertising T.J Eckleburg. Thus, Fitzgerald displays the concept of the American Dream, to be dead.…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Imagery In The Great Gatsby
    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Imagery In The Great Gatsby

    Imagery is a vital component to any successful and popular literary work. By using his imagistic style, Fitzgerald brought the setting of The Great Gatsby to life. This descriptive language not only brought the novel to life, but also helped establish certain motifs in key points of the story. The diction that Fitzgerald applies allows the reader to mentally reach a new level of understanding of The Great Gatsby. When combined, these techniques allow Fitzgerald to explore and convey different atmospheres, different societies, and different worlds.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Greed In The Great Gatsby
    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Greed In The Great Gatsby

    Due to Daisy living in East Egg, she tries to maintain her social status by marrying Tom instead of waiting for Gatsby. She accuses her husband that their love “[n]ever matter[ed] to him” while in the hotel room (143). Daisy upholds her affluent East Egg image but at the cost of landing herself in an unhappy marriage. Suffocated by her wealthy lifestyle, Daisy looks for fun outside of her matrimony by associating herself with Gatsby. She has an affair with Gatsby because of the money he has and what he can provide for her.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    The green light emitted by Daisy’s mansion ultimately symbolizes hope and the American Dream for Gatsby. Through the emphasis of color symbolism, the green light ironically suggests that regardless of wealth and power, the aristocratic class continues to suffer from…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    What Does The Green Light Symbolism In The Great Gatsby
    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What Does The Green Light Symbolism In The Great Gatsby

    The American Dream promises equality, opportunity and happiness to those insistent on its pursual. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald contradicts this claim in his masterpiece The Great Gatsby, as he uses symbolism in order to portray the inability to achieve the American Dream and the corruption incited in its pursuit. Thus, Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the green light in order to represent the American Dream and Gatsby’s futile quest of this ideal. He also uses the valley of ashes to communicate both the decadence of the upper class as they carelessly splurge, and the resulting loss of vitality and hope in the lower class. Therefore, in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald effectively uses symbolism to convey the fictitious sense of hope provoked by the…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Green Light Symbolism
    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Green Light Symbolism

    The yearning for happiness and the upcoming future is a feeling that almost everyone has in their lives. Throughout the world many cling on to that feeling which provides comfort and purpose for their lives, as well as a destiny that they may someday reach. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the symbolic meaning of the green light is substantial to Gatsby and also to the readers. For others this green light can represent the loss of a great era and the longing for that quality of time, or a simple goal in life that awaits to be accomplished. To Jay Gatsby, the green light symbolizes his love and desire for Daisy Buchanan whom he does not only love for her character, but for what she represents.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Baz Luhrmann's Use Of The Green Light In The Great Gatsby
    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Baz Luhrmann's Use Of The Green Light In The Great Gatsby

    Within the 2013 movie The Great Gatsby, the director Baz Luhrmann produces towards the end a scene of a gloomy foggy dock where a tiny green light blinks and cuts across the bay. The green light is the only source of light in the scene and contrasts with the dark blue surroundings. A man appears the green light illuminates his silhouette as he reaches a hand out towards the light. As he turns around it is shown it is Jay Gatsby and he turns back around to shakily reach for the light again. The fog disappears as the audience learns it is Gatsby.…

    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings