This blog is written as a task assigned by the head of the Department of English (MKBU), Prof. and Dr. Dilip Barad Sir. Here is the link to the professor's research article for background reading: Click here.
1) Read the article on the Book cover art and its connection to the novel's themes - and write your understanding of the symbolic significance of the book cover.
Understanding the Symbolic Significance of The Great Gatsby Book Cover
The iconic Celestial Eyes cover art by Francis Cugat is more than just an illustration; it visually represents the novel’s central themes, including the failure of the American Dream, loneliness, and moral decay. Each element of the painting contributes to the novel’s atmosphere and deeper meaning.
Symbolism of the Dark Blue Background
The dark blue background conveys a sense of sadness, mystery, and disillusionment, mirroring Gatsby’s emotional turmoil. Despite his wealth and extravagant lifestyle, Gatsby remains unfulfilled, longing for an unattainable dream—Daisy. The deep blue also represents the darker side of the American Dream, showing how relentless ambition and material success can lead to emptiness and destruction.
Other Symbolic Elements:
The Disembodied Eyes
The floating eyes in the cover art resemble the Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, a key symbol in the novel. They represent a god-like figure or society’s judgment, watching over the moral corruption of the Jazz Age. These eyes remind readers of the consequences of greed and deception.
The Green Light
The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and dreams, particularly his longing to recreate the past with Daisy. However, it remains out of reach, reinforcing the idea that some dreams are unattainable.
The City Lights
The lights in the background represent the allure of wealth and materialism, which drive Gatsby’s ambitions. However, just like the American Dream, these dazzling lights are deceptive, failing to provide true happiness.
2) Understanding Jay Gatsby's character:
Jay Gatsby, the enigmatic protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, is a character defined by his relentless pursuit of an unattainable dream. His persona is built on illusion, driven by deep-seated psychological forces, including shame, guilt, and grief. By analyzing Gatsby’s character through both literary and psychoanalytical lenses, we gain a deeper understanding of his motivations and ultimate downfall.
The Illusion of Jay Gatsby:
Gatsby is a self-made man who reinvents himself from James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy, into a wealthy, mysterious figure. His entire life is dedicated to winning back Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost due to their class differences. He amasses wealth through dubious means, throws extravagant parties, and cultivates an air of mystique—all in the hope that Daisy will return to him. However, Gatsby’s dream is rooted in nostalgia, and he fails to recognize that the past cannot be recreated. His fixation on an idealized version of Daisy blinds him to reality, ultimately leading to his tragic demise.
Psychoanalytical Perspective: Shame, Guilt, and Grief:
From a psychoanalytic standpoint, Gatsby’s character is deeply shaped by shame and guilt. His transformation from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby reflects an internal struggle with his humble origins—he is ashamed of his past and desperate to prove his worth. This shame fuels his obsession with material success, reinforcing his belief that wealth and status can erase his past inadequacies.
Gatsby also experiences guilt, though it is more subconscious. His pursuit of Daisy disrupts her marriage, and while he refuses to acknowledge any moral wrongdoing, there is an underlying sense of internal conflict. Moreover, Gatsby’s grief is evident in his relentless yearning for the past. His inability to accept loss—both of Daisy and of his idealized vision of their love—drives his self-destructive behavior.
3) How faithful is Luhrmann's film adaption to the original novel?
Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby is a visually extravagant and modernized interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. While it remains largely faithful to the book’s major plot points and themes, it also takes creative liberties, particularly in its stylistic choices and narrative presentation.
Faithfulness to the Novel
(1) Plot and Characterization:
The film closely follows the novel’s storyline, maintaining key events such as Gatsby’s lavish parties, his reunion with Daisy, and his tragic downfall.
The characters largely remain true to Fitzgerald’s descriptions, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Gatsby capturing his charm, mystery, and deep longing for Daisy.
Nick Carraway’s role as the narrator is preserved, though the film adds a framing device in which he recounts the story from a sanitarium, which is not in the book.
(2) Themes and Symbolism
The film effectively conveys themes of the American Dream, illusion versus reality, and social class divisions.
The symbolic imagery, such as the green light and Dr. T. J. Eckleburg’s eyes, is prominently featured, reinforcing the novel’s deeper messages.
Creative Liberties and Differences
(1) Modernized Aesthetic and Music:
Luhrmann uses a highly stylized, almost surreal visual approach, with fast-paced editing and CGI-enhanced settings.
The anachronistic soundtrack, featuring hip-hop and electronic music from artists like Jay-Z, contrasts with the novel’s 1920s jazz influences. This choice reflects the novel’s themes of excess but alters its historical authenticity.
(2) Nick’s Narration and Framing Device:
In the film, Nick is depicted as writing The Great Gatsby from a sanitarium due to his disillusionment with the world. This addition is not present in the novel and shifts the interpretation of his role as an observer.
(3) Heightened Romantic and Dramatic Elements:
Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship is portrayed with more overt passion and emotional intensity than in the book, making Gatsby seem more like a tragic romantic hero than a man obsessed with an illusion.
The film emphasizes the contrast between Gatsby’s hopeful dream and the reality of Daisy’s shallow nature, but it sometimes simplifies the novel’s more nuanced critique of wealth and social status.
4) A brief note on the symbolic significance of 'Green Light' and 'Billboard of The Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckelberg'.
The Symbolic Significance of the Green Light and the Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg
(1) The Green Light:
The green light at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock is one of the most significant symbols in The Great Gatsby. It represents Gatsby’s dreams, particularly his longing for Daisy and his belief in the possibility of recreating the past. More broadly, it symbolizes the American Dream—full of hope and ambition but ultimately elusive and unattainable. As the novel progresses, the green light loses its mystical quality, mirroring Gatsby’s realization that his dream is an illusion.
(2) The Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg
The billboard of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, with its fading, oversized eyes overlooking the desolate Valley of Ashes, serves as a symbol of moral and spiritual decay. The eyes are often interpreted as a god-like presence, silently judging the corruption and recklessness of the novel’s characters. They reflect the loss of ethical values in the pursuit of wealth and status, reinforcing Fitzgerald’s critique of the hollow and superficial nature of the American Dream.
Both symbols highlight the central themes of illusion versus reality and the moral emptiness of 1920s society, making them crucial elements in understanding The Great Gatsby.
5) A brief note on the theme of 'The American Dream' and 'Class Conflict' in the novel.
The Theme of 'The American Dream' and 'Class Conflict' in The Great Gatsby
(1) The American Dream:
The Great Gatsby critiques the American Dream by illustrating its corruption in the Jazz Age. Gatsby embodies the dream’s ideal—rising from poverty to immense wealth—but his success is built on illusion and illegal activities. His dream of winning back Daisy represents the belief that hard work can achieve anything, yet the novel shows that wealth alone cannot buy happiness or change the past. Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream has become tainted by materialism and social barriers, making true success unattainable for those outside the established elite.
(2) Class Conflict:
The novel highlights rigid class divisions between old money (Tom and Daisy Buchanan), new money (Gatsby), and the working class (George and Myrtle Wilson). Tom’s arrogance and sense of superiority reflect the entrenched power of the wealthy elite, who look down upon self-made individuals like Gatsby. The working class, represented by the Wilsons, struggles in poverty and remains powerless, emphasizing the social inequality of the era. Ultimately, Gatsby’s tragic fate reinforces the idea that social mobility is an illusion, as true status and privilege remain inaccessible to outsiders.
Both themes expose the false promises of wealth and success, making The Great Gatsby a powerful critique of 1920s American society.
Additional Resource:
Summary and Analysis of the novel 'The Great Gatsby'
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