Manesis Naylor 1

Maia Manesis Naylor

Mr. Smith

G Block

April 26, 2023

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby examines a multitude of relationships, thoroughly impacted by one

factor, wealth. Whether positively or negatively impacted, the focus around wealth shifted the

character's sights majorly. Marxism, based on the influence different statuses have on people, is

greatly applied to The Great Gatsby, and by discovering the presence of this idea in the novel, it

becomes clear that wealth drives the actions and morals in this society. When watching the film,

the distinction of wealth in society strengthens the importance of this factor. The novel, when

analyzed through a Marxist lens, reveals the destructive effects wealth has on the characters as a

result, Luhrmann’s shot composition further emphasizes the impact wealth has on the character's

lives.

Characters focusing solely on their wealth consequently face detrimental effects to their

character, affecting both their relationships and the novel's plot. When understanding the novel

through a Marxist lens, Tom and Gatsby obtaining great wealth becomes extremely significant,

as Gatsby falls into new money, and Tom has centuries of old money, wealth that goes on to

corrupt their well-being. Both characters tended to exclusively focus on their status being built

up by excessive wealth, in turn, compromising their morals. Daisy, a character in both Tom and

Gatsby's lives, is a symbol of status for both of them, especially in Gatbsy’s eyes. As Gatsby

comes from a different background than Daisy, if he is able to win her over, his wealth would be

proven great enough. In order to do so his character becomes compromised, an indirect effect of
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having a constant longing for wealth. When it came to Daisy, Gatsby “let her believe that he was

a person from much the same strata as herself”(Fitzgerald 149), attempting to rise to her level of

wealth. Although Gatsby truly cared for Daisy, his motives behind his goals were extremely

influenced by the present idea of wealth because Daisy meant a higher status to Gatsby. As their

focus on wealth changed the character’s actions, their demeanors also began to shift.

Specifically, Nick observed Tom, as “Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over

his face”(Fitzgerald 8). The superiority Tom feels he has over the rest of society, from a life of

extensive wealth, is constantly portrayed in his personality. Tom’s superiority complex is a form

of dominance he exerts on others, a destructive effect from centering his life around the old

money he possesses, and the opportunities this extends to him. As these two characters only

focus on their wealth, the well-being of those in relationships around them gets damaged, by

both Tom and Gatsby's carelessness to any subject not pertaining to their status in society.

Ultimately as both characters act as though they are above others, wealth is seen to corrupt their

morals, rather it results in Tom’s diminished proper character, or Gatsby, with a lack of any goals

exterior to wealth.

Luhrmann emphasizes the impact wealth has on The Great Gatsby characters, by

showcasing who obtains wealth through the choices made for shot composition. Throughout

different scenes of the movie, the ability to physically view the differences between the wealthy

and the poor allows for the inferences of those who are negatively affected by their excessive

wealth. The details put into each shot, including color, and exaggeration, differentiate those

depicted as superior, from others less fortunate. Scenes of the wealthy show much more

excitement and liveliness in their lives, compared to the dreariness of the poor, much more

boring. By showing the impacts of wealth through these different ways of filming, Luhrmann
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makes it evident how large of a role wealth is. When Nick first introduces the valley of ashes in

the movie, a gray-toned color scheme is used with a lack of excitement in the shots. The

“grotesque place” that the valley of ashes is said to be, is filled with the workers from the bottom

of society. Therefore, displaying this area in a rather depressing and lifeless manner leads to the

viewers further understanding of the lack of wealth present in the valley of ashes. The scenes

where Nick describes his experiences in the Valley of Ashes are a stark contrast to a party scene

at Gatsby's house. The wild filming of the scene portrays Gatsby's life in a specific way to

showcase its extravagance, a characteristic of the wealthy. With a vibrant color scheme utilized

for the party scene, Gatsby's prosperity and wealth almost seem to seep off the screen. Luhrmann

chose to highlight specific scenes depicting wealth with brighter and busier shots. Evidently,

these shots fall in either Gatsby’s or Tom’s presence, showcasing their wealth compared to the

rest of society. By understanding how the changes in shot composition reveal that status

differences between characters, a deeper relaxation of those impacted by wealth forms

The shot composition in the Great Gatsby movies leads the viewers to the realization of

different wealth statuses each character obtains, and once visually understood it becomes easier

to examine which characters had acquired wealth and were detrimentally impacted by it. The

details provided in both the book and movie, for a specific scene, complement each other by

allowing the reader to identify the wealthy using imagery in the movie, and then examine the

effects wealth has taken on the character, after reading the book through a Marxist lens. The

negative effects wealth has is a common theme in the novel, developing as soon as Nick finally

meets Gatsby during the party, Gatsby says “You see, I’m Gatsby”(Luhrmann) right as fireworks

go off and the camera pans out to show the incredible scene of Gatsby’s. By emphasizing

Gatsby's wealth with dramatic composition from the beginning of his introduction, the
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reader/viewer can begin to understand the direct correlation Gatsby has with wealth and how

much it influences him. The collaboration between how Gatsby's introduction is seen in the

movie and how Gatsby is affected by wealth in the book is a specific example of the emphasis

the movie has on the book, especially when analyzing both through a Marxist lens. Similarly,

Tom's wealth-impacted character shows its true colors in his discriminatory remarks against

Gatsby. As Tom is leaving Gatsby's party, and the shots in the movie show less commotion and

prosperity, it can be inferred that Tom is being corrupted by his high status. Tom’s questioning of

Gatbsy’s legitness, claiming “A lot of these newly rich people are just big

bootleggers”(Fitzgerald 106), shows how as his focus is only on wealth, he begins to ruin

relationships with people through developing an awful character. The movie highlights this shift

with a paralleling shift in shot composition, a common occurrence throughout the movie. The

wealth corrupts people as seen in Marxist interpretation of the book and in the movie we can

furthermore see who obtains wealth to emphasize that it affects these people

After analyzing the great gatsby through Marxist lens, and noticing the specific elements

to certain shots in the movie, the negative effects of the excessive focus on wealth in society

become clear. Throughout the novel, these negative effects are shown by alterations of their

moral characteristics, a direct effect of a life revolving around wealth. To highlight the

extravagance these wealthy people possess (a factor leading to their superiority complexes), the

shots of the wealthy are very vibrant and exuberant. Furthermore, watching and reading the same

scene further develops the marxist views of the novel, especially as the interactions in the book

are easily imagined with the help of the movie. When analyzing a novel through a specific lens,

it is very helpful to dissect a quality of the book's film, as the filming qualities tend to collaborate

with the book to strengthen an idea or theme.

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Works cited

Fitzgerald,Francis scott. The great gatsby.edicions perello, 2024

Luhrmann,baz et al. The Great gatsby. Warner bros. pictures,2013.

Skill N Foundational Proficient Advanced

Y

Thesis Establishes *previous and *previous and

a basic Indicates the Effectively & clearly
claim relationship conveys the
Mentions between texts relationship between
both texts Claim is a texts & and the
Specifically reasonable message or
mentions or interpretation interpretation that
alludes to a and moves can be determined
critical lens beyond Clearly developed
summary throughout essay
Developed
throughout
essay

Claims Makes a *Previous (and) *Previous (and)

statement Somewhat Considers the thesis
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that requires considers the of the paper

evidence to thesis Effective use of
support Somewhat transition
developed words/phrases
through Clearly developed
paragraph through paragraph

Evidence Includes *previous and *previous and

evidence Includes multiple Includes a variety of
from both pieces of specific, meaningful,
texts (either evidence/ and well-chosen
quotes or examples that evidence that relates
examples) clearly relate to to the thesis
Most the thesis,
evidence individual claims,
relates to and critical lens
lens Includes multiple
pieces of
evidence in each
body paragraph

Analysis Somewhat Explains how Explains

explains evidence well-selected points
how supports topic of comparison
evidence sentence of among evidence
supports individual and their connection
topic paragraphs to the thesis
sentence Explains how
and thesis evidence
supports the
thesis of the
essay
Some use of film
specific
vocabulary

MLA Some elements missing No errors in MLA format

or some errors in MLA
format

Conventio Shows Most quotes are All quotes are

ns evidence of correctly correctly integrated
basic integrated Shows evidence of
proofreadin Follows essay careful proofreading
g organization
Shows evidence
of proofreading

Fluency Simple use Demonstrates Strong use of of

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of use of grade vocabulary, diction,

vocabulary level vocabulary, sentence structures
Simple diction, sentence
sentence structures
structures Accurate use of
text specific
vocabulary