The Great Gatsby Death Scene Analysis

Due to the difference of the novelistic focus to the cinematic camera angles, each recount of Gatsby’s death scene comes from a strikingly different point of view. In the novel, Nick’s continual assertion of his own beliefs maintains the audience’s interest in his opinions rather than Gatsby himself. While delineating the scene of the crime, Nick interjects that he “firmly [believes]” that Gatsby’s servants “knew [about the bodies] by then.” Fitzgerald, in turn, assures that it is clear exactly whose life The Great Gatsby depicts. On the other hand, Wilson clearly narrates the 1974 death scene through his facial expressions and audible gasping. Unlike Luhrmann’s version, where the camera’s angle of Gatsby’s body poignantly blocks Wilson’s face
In the original novel, Nick Carraway’s severely limited perspective on his neighbor’s murder poignantly shroud Gatsby in glorified mystery, even in death. The very greatness behind the “Great Gatsby” spawns from his ambiguous and cryptic verbiage and his uncertain past. He makes himself into a celebrity with his enigmatic personality that forces those around him to spin their own tales of his life. Because Nick is unaware of exactly what occurs between Gatsby and Wilson, the young millionaire deliberately retains his dignity and greatness. However, because the audience sees him taken down by a single bullet, Gatsby’s point of view in the 2013 version of the film razes any shred of mystery or eminence about the character. Clayton destroys Nick’s novelistic speculations that Gatsby “must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is” and includes a definitive series of shots in which he explores Gatsby’s wild emotions. Unlike the novel, it is clear in his close-ups that Gatsby did not want to die, which makes even worse. On the other hand, even though it takes several bullets to take down the 1974 “Great Gatsby,” the focus on Wilson’s reactions ultimately takes away from Gatsby’s character development. Even though it is his death scene, he does not seem to
In an era of prosperity and material excess, Fitzgerald’s obsessive and inherently selfish Gatsby perfectly embodies the deterioration of moral values in pursuit of the declining American dream. Even though the millionaire claims that he earns his money for Daisy, he privately revels in his own success and craves more. As a symbol for most of America at this time, Gatsby’s ravenous greed is his own downfall. However, both Luhrmann and Clayton having Gatsby emotionally call out for Daisy eclipses the actual message in favor of selling their shallow romance. Gatsby is notorious bootlegger who, like many businessmen in this decade, has a fortune almost entirely made of illegally obtained money. The directors’ shift in his character development spurs the audience to forget about Gatsby’s crimes and, as a result, to forget about the satire behind The Great Gatsby because he appears to act in the name of love. Similarly, Clayton juxtaposes Wilson’s obligation to avenge his wife with his murder-suicide in order to present him as a tragic hero that represents the drastic consequences of unrequited love. Even though Wilson is clearly an abusive husband whose manic need for control motivates him to go after Gatsby, Clayton disposes of almost all morally complex plotlines to gain sympathy for an